Lockdown
by impavid fool
Summary: Returning to Litchfield prison turns Alex bitter and spiteful towards Piper, but things take a drastic turn when they're forced to work together in order to survive the chilling slaughter of mother nature. [Alex/Piper]
1. Up To Glory (I)

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Lockdown  
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'––Shit!'

Flinching back, Piper sucked her burnt thumb, and glared at the boiler. For the past twenty minutes, she had been stuck in this tiny, stuffy room trying to decipher why there was no hot water running. Being an electrician had its ups and downs. Actually, it just had its downs. Piper knew _nothing_ about the technology used within the prison, as well as the plumbing. Why she and Nicky Nichols had been assigned to this task was a mystery to her. They weren't exactly the best in their field. Still, Caputo thought it reasonable to send them to the boiler room with Luschek assisting them.

Not that Luschek was any help. Spanner in hand, Piper decided to stay away from the overheated boiler for a while until her thumb had cooled down. Nicky was too busy searching in one of the cupboards for more tools, however as soon as Luschek saw Piper slacking off, he yelled at her, 'Oi, inmate! Better get your ass back in gear. If you don't get this done, then all of your lady friends will start whining and _whining_ about how fucking cold their showers are. Don't know why you lot care anyway. It's not as if you wash yourselves.'

'Some of us do,' Piper replied, although she wasn't in the mood to get into a conversation with her CO. Hesitantly, she returned to the boiler, this time avoiding to touch it at all costs. Yet no matter how much she examined it, she wasn't going to get anywhere. As far as she was concerned, this stupid boiler needed a little break. Or, maybe it was just too old and they needed a new one. She doubted Caputo would be feeling generous enough to replace the boiler. Too much money.

There was a loud _bang_ from nearby when Nicky bumped her head against the surface of the cupboard. 'Aw, fuck me!' She groaned, slowly retreating. 'I can't see shit in there.' She tossed back her hair as it was getting in her eyes. Glancing over at Piper, she rubbed her sore head, 'You know what, we should get _paid_ for this crap. Fucking idiots who run this place can't be arsed to do shit, so _we_ have to do it all.'

'Nice. Should have thought about that before you decided to snort all of that heroin up that cute nose of yours,' Luschek responded, leaning up against the wall. 'Not my job to make sure you're having the time of your life here. This isn't a spa. It's a fucking prison.'

'Really?' Nicky responded. 'I did not notice.'

'Get back to whatever the fuck it is you were doing. You too, Chapman. I have to wait here until you're both done playing around.'

'If you're so bored, then fucking give us a hand. I don't know shit about this stuff.' Nicky gestured towards the boiler. 'And that fucking thing _stinks_, plus it'll fry you if you so much as lay a finger on it. It's the fucking devil's ass crack in here.'

Piper slowly closed her eyes. What a wonderful visual. Luschek sighed, not at all phased. 'That's a great story. Thing is, I can't even pretend to _care_. Hurry the fuck up. Otherwise, I'll leave you two out here. My shift's nearly finished anyway.'

'Yeah, right. It's not as if you have anything better to do.'

'I have a hell of a lot nicer ways to spend my fucking life than wasting it with you stoners.'

'Uh, sir?' Piper spoke up, smiling as pleasantly as possible. 'I know nothing on boilers. Could you please lend a hand?'

'I don't know,' Luschek shrugged. 'Maybe you could do a little strip tease? It might _burst_ into life then.'

'Are you trying to imply you don't know what to do either?' Nicky smirked. 'That's perfect. Really fucking perfect. We ain't going anywhere now. Why couldn't they hire an electrician who is actually an electrician?' Nicky asked, turning to Piper for backup. 'Mind, this place is full of shit anyway.' She looked back at Luschek. 'How much do they pay you? Like, three bucks an hour?'

'I don't have to tell you again, inmate,' Luschek frowned. 'Fucking get this sorted.'

With some reluctance, Piper returned to the boiler, opening the front in order to inspect some of the buttons and switches. It might as well all be in a different language. In fact, it _was_. Piper frowned at the German words written before her. Marvellous. Glancing over at Luschek, she saw he was now looking out of the window. The glass had mainly fogged up, but she could see it was snowing. Quite heavily as well. It had been snowing relentlessly all day, and already the ground was a few inches beneath a white blanket. Piper inwardly groaned.

Winter sucked.

Actually, it was Autumn. October. There shouldn't be any snow until, _at least_, the end of November. Fortunately, the boiler room was relatively warm, but outside it was cold. Their heavy jackets barely protected them from the chill. Plus, now that the boiler was refusing to work, the heating had gone off as well, which meant the prison itself was freezing too.

Piper had more of a reason to avoid the main area than the lack of heating, though. Only last week had her ex-girlfriend/mistress/life fuck-up been sent back to Litchfield after abusing her furlough. Piper could _feel_ the tension and hatred bouncing off Alex, even when she wasn't anywhere near her. Alex _knew_ Piper had named her, and brought her back in. Thankfully, the two had managed to avoid each other, but whenever they were forced together, Piper did whatever she could to avoid conversation.

Right now she couldn't face her. In her head, she had thought of countless ways into helping Alex understand why she did what she did. But whenever she so much as _looked_ at her, Piper backed out. Alex was scary. Alex was fucking _terrifying_ when she was angry, and Piper knew she would break her neck if she could. Alex hated prison more than Piper did. And even if she had been stashing a gun under her pillow every night, in fear Kubra's men may attack her, she would rather be in that shit than this shit. But hey, Alex was no angel herself. She had fucked Piper over more than once. As well as trying to protect her, Piper liked to think she also sent her back here out of sweet vengeance.

If anyone knew there was trouble between them, it was Nicky. Every time Alex so much as _walked_ past their table during meal times, Nicky was grinning ear-to-ear. Piper didn't see what was so funny about their drama. However, Nicky didn't prod Piper about it. She tended to avoid the subject altogether and Piper had a feeling why. Although it was unrelated, Lorna being sent to SHU had shaken Nicky up slightly. After helping Rosa escape prison, Lorna's kindness backfired. As soon as it was discovered that she had been the real cause behind her escape, Caputo sent her straight to SHU without hesitation. Just seeing Lorna struggle and plead nearly had Nicky burst into tears.

And _that_ would have been a shock. Piper hadn't witnessed Nicky cry before. Not really. She had been tearful over Vee attacking Red, but that was more anger than anything. Nicky _crying_ out of _sadness_ was such a bizarre sight, Piper was relieved she bottled most of her misery in. Neither women spoke about Alex or Lorna. They didn't want to. They _understood _that the very mention of those two ladies sent them into a spiral of fucked up confusion and pain. In a way, this had brought them closer. Polly had been crossed off Piper's "favourite people" list and, even if she denied it, Nicky had somehow earned her place at the top. She was Piper's opposite, but she was a good, loyal friend.

At the end of the day, that was all Piper needed. Wanted.

Someone to lean on when things got too much. Lately, they had been leaning on each other anyway, and it helped them get through. No matter how much one tried to hide their fragility, it came out sooner or later. Especially in prison. Even though Nicky came out with rather absurd advice, she managed to cheer Piper up whatever the case. Piper liked to think she provided the same comfort back. They hadn't heard anything about Lorna for the past three days, but Nicky was handling it well. Much better than Piper thought. Most of the time, it was as if Lorna never passed her mind.

'I'm going to have a word with Caputo. Tell him we're not progressing,' Luschek said, without looking at the two. 'Stay here. Don't do anything stupid.' Neither women said anything when he opened the door, and closed it behind him, stepping out into the wild snowstorm.

Nicky huffed. 'I love it here.'

Dropping the spanner, Piper sat down against the wall, raising her knees. She said nothing, partially due to the fact she was worried. The snow was getting increasingly worse out there, and she was dreading the possibility they might get trapped in this room. Nicky must have caught on. She softened her expression slightly and sat down beside her.

'Hey, man, we'll be outta here in no time.'

'I know,' Piper muttered. The wind howled outside, and the snow started to batter against the windows. 'I wish we got some word from outside. I mean, outside the prison grounds. This weather is crazy –– and since when does it ever snow in October?'

'Someone must have pissed off the G-Man.' Nicky scrambled to her feet and looked out of the window. She could barely see anything. 'Shit, it's fucking Antarctica out there.'

Piper sighed, grabbed the spanner and fiddled with it. 'Happy Holidays.'

'If this snow was actually cocaine, I'd die happy.'

'And instantly.'

'Best way to go.'

Piper smiled. Glancing down at her hands, she trailed her thumb over a dent in the tool. 'To be honest, I think the world would be a little less exciting without you in it.' There was a long pause, and Piper allowed that comment to sink in, despite how stupid she felt afterwards.

'You know what?' Nicky said, looking down at her. 'I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.'

'Oh.' Piper met her gaze. 'I guess there's always a first.' Returning to examining her spanner again, Piper waited a little longer for Luschek to return. If he ever would. By now, the snow was harder, faster, and it didn't look as if it would settle anytime soon. She shuddered a little, and wrapped her arms around herself. Nicky seemed undeterred with the drop in temperature. 'By the way, I've been meaning to apologise.'

Frowning, Nicky said, 'What for?'

'For Red. What I said. You know, about...' Piper swallowed. 'I was selfish, and I didn't really acknowledge how you felt. Sort of just made the whole thing about me.' She waited again, but this time felt tense. She should have apologised a long time ago, but there was never an appropriate moment. Rarely did Nicky and Piper fall out –– in fact, they never had –– but that one time had caused an unwelcoming shift between them. 'So, I'm sorry.' A shrug. Uncertainty, shy, awkward.

To her relief, she heard Nicky chuckle. 'Don't give it another thought. I mean, things were pretty rough then –– we were both in a shitty place. Yeah, you were being a selfish asshole at the time, but I was acting like a fucking brat.' A pause. Nicky drummed her fingers against the windowsill. 'We both had our problems, kid. We always do.'

'And I'm sorry about Morello,' Piper instantly shut up. She couldn't believe she said that, but, heck, she _was_ sorry. If there was one person in this dump who stuck beside Nicky, it was Lorna. To have a close friend taken away must be unbearable.

'Yeah,' Nicky wiped the foggy window with her sleeve. 'Me too.' They let the silence take over for a while. Sometimes, silence was necessary. A lot had been confessed in so few words, and Piper felt better now that she had apologised. And even if they refused to talk about Lorna, they still _needed_ to at least once. Nicky could hide it as much as she liked, but it was obvious she was still unhappy without her. Maybe she always would be. 'Weird how they get to you.'

Piper raised a brow. 'Hm?'

'Women.'

'Oh. Yeah.'

'She's not even my type,' Nicky smiled crookedly, but it quickly fell. Propping herself on one elbow, she tried to distract her thoughts. 'You and Vause made nice yet?'

Exhaling heavily, Piper rolled back her shoulders. She was expecting her name to pop up. 'No. The last time I saw her was in the shower room, and she either didn't recognise me, or ignored me completely.'

'Silent treatment, eh? Oof. You must have pissed her off good.'

'Has she said anything to you?'

Nicky grinned. 'Apart from the fact you're a two-faced, bimbo asswipe?'

'She said _that_?'

'She also said you sweat a lot in bed.'

'I––' Piper gaped in horror. '_What_?'

Nicky burst out laughing. 'Fuck me, Chapman! You're hysterical. Vause hasn't said shit about you,' Grinning, she looked over at her. 'Not about you squirting either––'

'Okay, can we not go down that road, please?'

'Why not? It's quite an achievement, Chapman. More for Vause, I guess, seeing as she––'

'_Nicky_.'

'Yeah, sorry.' Sighing, Nicky slumped her shoulders. 'How much fucking longer are we supposed to wait here? My ass is freezing. If I sat on the boiler, will it hurt?'

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Piper shrugged. 'Probably. I wouldn't try.' She groaned. 'If Luschek doesn't come back in ten minutes, I'm going.'

'Right behind you.' Just as Nicky said this, they heard a phone ring. Both women exchanged glances, and then turned to the source. Attached to the wall was, indeed, a white phone connected to several lines within the prison. Nicky went over, and answered, 'This is Nichols and Son electrical. How may I help you?' Piper smirked, and watched as Nicky's face fell. '...What?' She rolled her eyes, 'You mean we've been sitting here for no fucking reason?' A pause. 'All right, all right! We're going.' She hung up. 'That was Luschek. Apparently Caputo said we can go. Waste of my fucking time.'

'Thank God,' Piper muttered. Leaving her spanner behind, she went over to the door, and pushed it open. It didn't budge. Piper tried again. Nothing. 'Fuck.' Stepping back, she then whammed her side into the door, but to no avail. She looked over at Nicky. 'I think we're snowed in.'

Nicky blinked. 'I hope you're having a laugh.'

'Nope.' Piper pushed her weight against the door. 'I am not laughing.'

'Hold on. Give it here.'

Piper stepped back and watched as Nicky braced herself, before shooting out her foot and kicking the door. There was a loud _thwump_. Nothing. Nicky grimaced. 'Ow.' She sheepishly limped away. '_Ow_. Fuck. Not doing that again.'

'We're stuck here.' Piper widened her eyes. 'We're _stuck_ here!'

'Stay calm, kid. It's just snow. I'll give 'em a ring.' Nicky returned to the phone, and pressed the button labeled "central line". There were a couple of rings, until finally a CO answered. 'Hi, it's Nichols. I'm stuck in the boiler room with Chapman. We can't get out because of the snow, so could you, I dunno, come help us out or something?' She heard nothing but a fuzzy noise on the other end. 'Uh, hello?' Nicky's left eye twitched. 'I can't help but get the feeling we're starring in a horror film.'

'––_Hello_?'

Nicky jumped in surprise. 'Oh, God, _life_. Please tell me you have a shovel or a truck or a snowplough –– a fucking helicopter for all I care, because we're stuck in the boiler room.'

More fuzzy noise. Fortunately, the voice didn't disappear. '_Currently, we're not able to help you right now. We're stuck in ourselves, but once the snow has settled and we're able to move it out of the way, we'll come get you out_.'

Nicky pulled a face. 'Oh, perfect. So what are me and Chapman supposed to do until then?'

'_I don't know. Sit around. Wait. Play with each other_?'

'Thanks, man. Really appreciating the comfort talk there. If we starve and die, try not to feel too guilty.'

'_Oh, don't worry. I'll be fine. Stay warm. The snow is supposed to stop in a couple of hours._'

'Wonderful. Can't fucking wait.' Nicky hung up, and repeated to Piper what she had been informed. The blonde was less calm about the matter.

Groaning loudly, she ran her hands down her face. 'What if the snow doesn't stop until tomorrow morning?'

'That's basically what I said,' Nicky replied, folding her arms. 'Well, guess all we can do is wait.' Her lower lip quivered slightly. 'You know, I imagined many ways in which I would die, the first being from an overdose. I never thought I'd die with you.'

Piper slumped down onto the floor. 'Sorry to disappoint.'

'I could be with worse people.' They shared a little smile. 'You're not scared, are you, man?'

'No.' Piper narrowed her brows. '_No_. This sort of stuff must happen all the time. We're snowed in, but if it's supposed to stop in a couple of hours, then we'll be out soon. So, no need to panic.' She nodded, more to herself than Nicky. 'I got snowed in once when I was younger. Skipped school for a week.'

'What a rebel.'

Piper looked at her. 'For me, that was a long time.'

Nicky snorted. 'You make me chortle, Blondie. It's why I like you so much.' She smiled. 'That's why your mistress likes you so much––'

'Maybe we will die, Nicky, and if we do, I don't want my last thoughts to be about... _her_.'

'_If_ we do die,' the slighter older woman looked at Piper. Slowly raised a brow in curiosity. 'You sure you don't want me to–– y'know, send you to Heaven first myself?'

It took a moment for that to hit. Piper cocked back her chin. 'I am not having sex with you in a boiler room. Before I die. I–– _no_.'

'Why not? We're gonna die, anyway.'

'_If_ we die. And, even _if_ we _were_, I wouldn't––' Piper exhaled. '––We... I don't think we'd _connect_.'

Grinning crookedly, Nicky leaned against the wall. 'Oh yeah, Chapman? What bullshit. Hey, if me and Vause can connect, than surely you and I can.'

'Thank you for reminding me about you two getting a little _frisky_ with one another.'

'Frisky? Ha, what an understatement. Vause couldn't keep her hands off me after what you did to her. She was a bruised, beaten little kitten. Heartbroken. I think she let your name slip once when we were together.' Piper looked at her sharply. 'Kind of cute actually.'

Cheeks reddening, Piper averted her gaze. 'Can we not talk about her, _please_?'

'Do me a favour, kid. If we survive this, will you just fucking marry her? The drama between you two was funny at first, but now it's driving my head in. Fuck, the woman of your dreams is here with you, right now. You got her. So don't fucking take that for granted. Take the opportunity, man.'

'She's not exactly the woman of my dreams––'

'She's Alex Vause, and your eyes go heart-shaped whenever you see her. You're both fucking lunatics.'

'And you and Lorna aren't?'

Nicky chewed on the inside of her lip. The smile was gone. She squinted her eyes, and turned to the window. 'If I hear about Christopher one more fucking time, I will rip out my hair and eat it.'

'Eurgh.'

'Fucking dick. Made her cry. No one makes my girl cry.'

'_I'm_ the lunatic? Really?'

'Just making a statement, man. Plus, me and Morello aren't fucking each other over every few seconds. You and Vause are like revolving doors. All over each other one minute, the next you're trying to murder each other. Can't fucking keep up. Are you still pretending you hate each other, or are you back together now?'

'I get that we can be a little dramatic––'

'Wow.'

'––but you don't have to go ahead and be an ass about it.'

It was Piper's sharp tone which shut Nicky up. They fell into silence again. Neither should have discussed Lorna and Alex for this very reason –– it always created an uncomfortable tension. Piper craned her head to the side. She wasn't angry. Nor upset. Just talking about Alex made her feel so many things: guilt, regret, worry, fear and love. The latter being the strongest. She still loved Alex, and it was obvious Alex still loved her, but, fuck, that woman was impossible.

Sending her back to Litchfield had not been a mistake. However, she had deliberately avoided Alex for days now, and Piper wondered if it was already too late to make amends.

Well, what did it matter? As far as Nicky and Piper were concerned, she was going to die anyway. What a pathetic life.

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So engrossed in her novel, Alex didn't notice the majority of inmates crowding around the windows, until she finally looked up. Lowering her book, she walked over, able to see past most heads due to her height. Apparently, all the fuss was about the snow. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Sure, there was a _lot_ of snow, but the women's awe made no sense. Alex was about to return to her cell when she spotted two COs talking quietly, their speech hurried, a little panicked.

It was then when she heard an inmate say, 'That Nichols and College girl are stuck in the boiler room somewhere. Snowed in and all.'

Alex liked to think she was only concerned about Nicky. As for the College girl –– Piper –– well, Alex didn't care. Heck, let her freeze to death, but Alex certainly didn't want her friend to follow the same fate. Snapping her novel shut, Alex approached the two COs and interrupted their conversation, 'What's this about two inmates being stuck in the boiler room?'

One of the COs was Bennett, the other Luschek. Both gave her a look, and it was Luschek who responded, 'Nothing for you to start biting your nails over.' He snorted. 'Oh, right. You worried about your sweet girlfriend?'

'No. Only curious. Just wondered why no one's helped them out yet.'

'That's enough, inmate,' Bennett cut in. 'If you must know, we're snowed in ourselves. We can't help Nichols and Chapman –– they'll have to wait until the snow settles.'

Their discussion had attracted a few more inmates over, two of them being Poussey and Watson. ''Till the snow settles? It's been crazy like this all day. By the time it's fucking settled, those two white girls will be ice cubes. Seen shit like this happen before,' Poussey said, 'If you ever picked up a newspaper, you'd know there's been a whole stir going around. Not just snow, but hurricanes too.'

'Couple of planes crashed down, as well,' Watson added. 'Good luck trying to get those girls out when the snow "settles". If they're still breathing.'

Alex hadn't picked up a newspaper lately, and she had no idea how these two women knew so much about what was happening outside the prison. Luschek laughed, 'You two are just rays of sunshine.' Bennett, on the other hand, didn't look amused. 'Careful. Don't want to scare Vause here. You look like you're shitting a brick.'

''Cos she doesn't want Rapunzel freezing up,' Watson muttered. 'Even though she dragged her ass back in here.'

'I don't care about Chapman,' Alex snapped, a little too harshly. She internally cursed. So much for subtlety. 'It's Nichols I'm worried about. I think we should do something. Not just wait it out.'

'Oh, yeah? Why?' Luschek challenged.

'When it stops snowing, it might be too late. I'm not going to take any risks. The snow's getting deeper by the minute. If we wait any longer, it's just going to get worse. And I don't think Nichols _can_ wait. She doesn't have food or water. Or warmth.'

'She has Chapman to snuggle.'

Alex grimaced, tightened her grip on her novel. She didn't want to think about Nicky and Piper "snuggling". She didn't even want to think about them in the same _room_ together. 'That––' She rolled her eyes, growing impatient. '––That won't be enough. We need to bring them back here.'

'Who put you in charge, then?' Luschek said.

They were both a similar height, but Alex straightened herself slightly so she was a little taller. Just to show she was willing to fight over this, she raised her glasses over her head and looked him in the eye. 'Maybe I should be in charge, considering you're too fucking stupid to know what's best.'

Poussey laughed. 'The fuck you trying to start?'

'I'm giving you a shot for that, inmate. Might even get you sweeping the floors with a toothbrush, and let the other inmates walk all over you. Like the rug you are.'

'You _need_ to get Nichols out,' Alex said. She didn't care about the shot, or the extra punishment. She couldn't give less of a damn. She just wanted Nicky safe. She wanted Nicky and Piper safe. Damn it. Alex had been trying to avoid Piper as much as possible; wanted nothing to do with that stupid, pathetic, selfish _bitch_. She had been so close to getting away, _this_ close. She was nearly able to live a life of her own, until Piper ruined it. _Again_. 'You need to get her out right now.'

'Settle down, inmate,' Bennett said.

'She's got a point,' Watson murmured. 'You can go search for them later, but the cold might have beaten you to it.'

Alex appreciated Watson backing her up, but the constant reminders that Nicky and Piper might die out there wasn't helping. The COs spoke to each other quietly again, possibly figuring out how to deal with Alex, Watson and Poussey or Nicky and Piper. Maybe all of them. Alex couldn't be sure. She didn't know what they were saying and that was pissing her off.

Why was no one doing anything?

'Go back to reading your fairytales,' Luschek said, turning to Alex. 'You'll be with your cuddle buddy in no time––'

'What the _fuck_ is wrong with you!?' Alex yelled, catching the attention of most inmates within the hallway. 'Didn't you hear anything that was said to you? There's no time to sit around _waiting_.'

'Speak to me like that again, then I'll send you down to SHU.'

Before Alex could retort, Poussey grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back slightly. 'It ain't worth it.'

'Fuck it isn't,' Alex muttered, glaring at the CO. '_Shit_.' She yanked her arm out of Poussey's grip. She wished she didn't care so much. She wished she wasn't shaking with anger; she wished her heart wasn't pounding against her ribcage. She wished she would stop thinking about Piper, stuck behind a wall of snow, _dead_. Lifeless. No longer breathing.

That wasn't fair. Piper didn't get to fuck her around and then _die_. Fuck. Fuck, no.

Alex turned to the two women. 'How did you know about the hurricanes?'

'The library's usually got a couple of newspaper strips lying around,' Poussey replied. 'Guess it's all right for us to read about the weather, but nothing else.' She shrugged. 'Dunno why they've kept it hidden from all yous, though. Probably think you'll start panicking like you did just now.'

Ignoring that comment, Alex peered over her shoulder to look at Luschek and Bennett. They had returned to speaking quietly amongst themselves. Then, Luschek turned on his heel and walked away. Bennett was about to follow, but he stopped and faced Alex. His expression had softened, 'Listen, we're doing everything we can. But we _have_ been advised to stay indoors until the worst has passed. There's no point rushing out and adding more dead bodies to the pile.' He winced. 'That came out wrong.'

'You think?' Poussey scowled.

'I'm going to be contacting Nichols and Chapman soon. The telephone lines are acting up, and there isn't any knowing when they'll screw up completely. Vause, you can have a word with Chapman if that'll keep you calm. But, you need to keep your head down. I––' He shrugged. 'I know what it feels like when you're scared about a loved one.'

'Will you quit it with the sappy, hetero love crap?' Poussey responded.

Bennett stiffened a little, and wisely focussed his attention on Alex instead. The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes, 'I don't need to repeat myself: I'm not worried about Chapman. The freeze can have her. It's Nichols I want out.'

'You can wish one or the other out, Vause, but it won't speed things along. If you come with me, you can talk to Chapman. Or Nichols.' He stepped back. 'Or not.'

For Nicky's sake, Alex followed Bennett down the hallway, towards one of the CO offices. She felt rather dizzy, but maintained her composure. More and more started to crowd the windows, and the possibility of the weather getting worse continued to reach Alex's ears. She hated how prison stopped her from knowing what was happening out there. The weather was not normal. That much she could tell.  
And of all people to be snowed in together. Alex was angry again and, bizarrely, she was angry at Piper. Why did it have to be Piper?

Stupid girl. Stupid, fucking idiot. Why Piper?

Why her?

Entering the office, Bennett picked up one of the phones and pressed a button. After a wait, he received an answer. 'Ah, hi. This is Bennett. We're still not able to help you out, but we've heard news the snow will cease within the next couple of hours. Are you both doing okay?' Alex stepped further inside, and listened out to who Bennett was speaking to. She heard nothing, though. 'If you check in one of the cupboards, there should be a water bottle. I remember leaving one there.' He sighed. 'Yes, Nichols, it's unused. Make sure you and Chapman ration it out. That's all you have, and I'm not certain on how much longer you both have to stay in there.'

Bennet glanced at Alex, and raised his chin.

'Wait, don't hang up yet. A friend wants to speak to you.' He passed the phone over.

Alex took it, and pressed it to her ear. 'Nichols?'

'_Vause? Aw man, am I glad to hear your voice!_'

'Are you all right?'

'_Yeah. It's fucking freezing, though. Like, the temperature just dropped so fast in the last hour. It's fucking crazy, man. Wish you were here. Chapman isn't much of a conversationist when in survival mode_.' Nicky laughed, probably at Piper's response. Alex's chest tightened. Nothing about this was funny. Knowing Piper was stuck in that room made her feel so uneasy. '_You wanna talk to her_?'

Alex widened her eyes. 'Wh–– No, I––'

'_Alex_?'

Damn it. Alex _really_ didn't want to speak to Piper. She turned away from Bennett. 'Uh. Hi.'

'_Hi._' An awkward pause. '_Nicky wanted us to start talking again, and I thought seeing as I'm probably going to die in here_––'

'Cut it with that crap, yeah?' Alex rolled her eyes. 'If it gets cold, you two need to share body heat.'

'_I know that. We're doing okay at the moment. The boiler is still keep us warm_.' A long wait, and then, '_Alex, what the fuck is going on out there_?'

'A lot. You don't need to worry about that.'

Another pause. '_I need to talk to you about–– you being here_.'

'Funny you'd wait until _now_.'

'_I know... I hate it here; it's gross_.' Piper laughed lightly, and Alex nearly smiled. '_I'm just really glad to hear you. I thought we wouldn't speak again, and I'd never have the chance to_––'

'You're rambling, and you don't have time to ramble. I need to give the phone back soon. Just wait this one out, will you? I––' Alex stopped. 'Fuck you, Piper. Why did you have to go ahead and get snowed in like this?'

'_It's not my fault. And fuck you for not talking to me until now_.'

'I was only meant to talk to Nichols.'

'_Oh_.'

'Vause?' Bennett said from behind.

'I need to return the phone. Piper, you're probably going to be stuck in there for a while, but I'll make sure you get out one way or another. I need to––' _Give you a good yelling_, '––I just need you to stay alive for me, all right?'

'_Alex, I'll be fine. And I have Nicky to keep me company. Don't worry_.'

That wasn't what Alex wanted to hear. Clearly Piper was anything but fine, and she hated it when Piper told her not to worry. It only made her do the exact opposite. But it was good to hear her voice, at least. Good to talk to her, even after the shit that had happened. Because, fuck, maybe Piper would die out there. Maybe this was the last time they would speak. Alex offered the phone back, and Bennett hung up. She pressed her novel to her chest.

She was still angry at Piper. She still hated Piper. She still wanted to grab Piper by the neck and throttle her, but she was scared. No one knew what the weather was doing, and even if Nicky was good company, that didn't mean she knew how to survive in such severe conditions. Alex stepped out of the office, opened her book, and tried to focus on the words.

Anything to get her away from reality.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**author's note**: I've wanted to do this "ice age" scenario before I even watched OITNB. So, I thought I'd give it a go. As always, do not expect my work to be accurate. I only write this stuff for fun, after all. My other two Vauseman stories are getting pretty heavy on the angst, and I wanted something more refreshing, so went ahead with this idea. Thank you for reading, and please do share your thoughts. I feel a little insecure about my writing in this chapter, but hopefully I'm just being paranoid.


	2. Up To Glory (II)

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Lockdown  
**2.**

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**.**

**.**

Waiting was torture. By ten in the evening, the snow still fell, and no news had been heard from the staff. No updates; nothing. Alex refused to stay in her cell. She wanted to be where the crowds were, in case anything important was said. Hours had passed since Alex spoke to Nicky and Piper over the phone, and the inmates had lost interest in the two stranded women. They now discussed the weather, the possibility that it wouldn't stop snowing anytime soon, that in different states, there had been hurricanes, constant downfalls of rain.

Nobody knew what was happening, though. One inmate asked a CO for some information, but was threatened to shut up or they would be given a shot. It was obvious the COs were tense. They knew what was happening out there, and weren't passing on any details to the inmates because it would cause panic and disruption. It couldn't be clearer to Alex that something was wrong. Very wrong. The COs were less interested in keeping the inmates in order; they let them stare out of the window, sit in the hallway, wait for any news. Instead, they were more concerned about other, pressing matters.

Inmates had now been refused the right to contact family, and, after a while, a CO appeared at the end of the hallway, blocking the exit. No one was allowed through. Alex realised they were herding the inmates all in one place like cattle. She was seated against the wall, in the corner of the hallway. Lowering her novel, she turned her head to the window. It was still snowing. A horrible discomfort shuddered through her. She had heard nothing on Piper and Nicky. Absolutely nothing. She didn't even know if they were all right, if they were still alive.

Piper was smart, though, and strong. She would be okay. The blonde always adjusted, she always knew how to handle dire situations, and Nicky was good company. The best sort. Alex had nothing to worry about. She shouldn't be worrying about Piper in the first place. Not after Piper had fucked her around. Alex trusted her, confided in her, said she was fleeing the city. And Piper abused this trust, this faith and loyalty in her. Piper named Alex, and had her parole officer come take her back to Litchfield prison. Initially, Alex just felt disappointed.

Disappointed in herself for telling Piper her plans to escape when she shouldn't have. Disappointed she trusted that woman so easily. But, then, after a while, Alex felt betrayal. She was betrayed, betrayed by the only person she cared about completely. Thrown back behind bars, and forced to wear these baggy, orange khakis, Alex didn't know how Piper would confront her. If she'd immediately explain her reasons, defend herself, or even apologise. To Alex's dismay, she did neither. Piper avoided her. Refused to look at her. Kept quiet, head down.

It angered Alex immensely. Piper ignoring her hurt more than the betrayal. But, Alex was a proud woman, and she wasn't going to approach Piper first. She would wait. Or, more accurately, she wouldn't _try_ to make amends when it was Piper's fault this had happened. She wanted Piper to feel guilty, realise the error of her ways. Wanted Piper to come to _her_. Because she always did. Whatever happened, Piper always came crawling back.

Alex just wasn't expecting them to finally speak under these circumstances. With Piper trapped elsewhere, and having to talk over the phone with a corrupt line. Hearing her voice, after so long, was a sharp attack to Alex's heart. It shocked her. Even scared her a little. She couldn't see Piper's face, could only read the emotions in her voice. And it wasn't enough. Alex needed to see Piper, needed to make sure she was okay, needed to touch her, make sure her heart was still beating. It was frustrating how, after everything, Alex still cared. Cared too much.

Fuck. Piper did not get to die –– not _now_, and not like _this_.

Suddenly the lights flickered. Some of the inmates yelled in surprise and then, the lights went off completely. Alex was frozen in place, and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Most inmates, though, decided this was the perfect opportunity to riot. There were screams, hurried footsteps, constant banging against the windows. It stirred panic and terror within the hallways, and Alex began to feel tense, annoyed, pissed off; she wanted the inmates to be quiet.

The electricity had gone out. There was no heating, no warm water, no lights –– nothing. They were trapped like this, and the inmates were having none of it. Alex nearly jumped in surprise she heard a loud _bang_. All the inmates fell into a shuddering silence, and looked over to the noise. Three COs carrying torches were at the rear of the hallway. Caputo was amongst them, carrying a large baseball bat he must have slammed against the wall to get the women's attention. Alex couldn't see him well in the torchlight, but it was obvious he was stressed and impatient.

'All of you can shut the fuck up, otherwise I'll have you all handcuffed to the walls!' His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. Even if his threat had been a little unjustified, Alex was pleased someone had acclaimed order again. 'Yeah, the lights have gone out, so unless you're afraid of the dark, then you can quit with the screaming! _All_ the electricity is out! We have no more hot water, the toilets aren't fucking flushing anymore! And it's a goddamn blizzard out there. That means you _all_ have to do exactly as you're told! For now, you're all to wait in silence until we figure out what to do next.'

There were a series of murmurs, mostly murmurs of disapproval. None of the ladies were impressed with the lack of planning, but Caputo ignored them. He turned to one of his COs, said something, and then faced the crowd of women again.

'It's gonna get cold! Freezing cold. Dress warmly, use your bedsheets if you want! Cuddle up. Whatever. I don't give a shit. Just don't cause me hassle, otherwise I'll fucking kick you out there in the snow to die! In order to keep everyone in sight, we'll be transferring some of the inmates from SHU to over here. If a CO tells you to do something, you do it. If a CO tells you to _not_ do something, then you don't fucking do it. If you want the toilet, then ask a CO and they'll escort you to the shower room. We'll be handing out bottles of water which you all must share! No sharing, then no water. Simple shit.'

A few inmates called out in protest. One shouted, 'Care to tell us what the fuck is happening out there?!'

Clearly Caputo wanted to avoid this question, but when more inmates repeated it, demanding to know, he had no choice. 'Fine! _Fine_!' The hallway fell into silence again. 'At the moment, we've just heard reports about severe weather warnings, but that's all. We were told several hours ago that the snow _should_ stop falling soon, but it hasn't. This means we're taking more drastic action. If the weather doesn't cease, then you'll all be transferred elsewhere––'

'You expect us to stay in here?! Fuck that shit.'

'I'd let you out if I could. Heck, you'd die quicker that way. More room for everyone else, but, unfortunately, I'd get fired if I did that, so you're staying put!' Caputo retorted, his voice breaking slightly from the anger rushing through him. 'Anymore questions or can I go back to saving your ungrateful behinds?'

Alex waited, but everyone was quiet. Rolling her eyes, she stood to her feet, 'I have a question! What about the two inmates stuck in the boiler room? You just gonna leave them there or what?'

'Right now, there's not much any of us can do about that. As soon as we're advised that we can go outside, then we'll help them out.'

That wasn't good enough. Alex jarred her teeth and returned to sitting down on the floor. The inmates started chattering again, and Caputo turned and left. Some COs remained, offering torchlight. Alex hugged her knees, breathing heavily, angry. Nothing was making sense. She couldn't wait for the storm to pass. She couldn't wait. She couldn't do that. Alex flickered her gaze to one of the COs, then at some women in the corner, talking amongst themselves, tense, stressed.

It was torture. All of this. Alex exhaled shakily, rested her head against the wall. It was unlikely they would have permission to step outside for a long while. Even though it was not much warmer here than the boiler room, at least there was food and water. More clothes and blankets. Nicky and Piper wouldn't survive for very long, especially if they only had a bottle of water to share amongst themselves. She remembered Caputo saying the electricity was out. That meant the security cameras were busted, and the fences were offline. If there weren't COs guarding the exit to the hallways, they could all run free.

Alex dropped her book. Stood up. Approached a CO –– Healy. She knew Piper and Nicky weren't getting out anytime soon, and clearly she was the only idiot in this place who gave a shit about them. Plus, Alex couldn't sit around waiting. It was driving her crazy. She wasn't the waiting type. 'Sir,' she said, catching his attention. Healy glanced at her, then considered walking away. It was obvious he wasn't very fond of Alex, but Alex had little patient right now. 'Might I suggest we take more action? I don't think Nichols and Chapman can wait until the snow stops.'

It was the control. Alex realised the mistake she was making instantly. Outside of this dump, she was in charge of her own life, making her own orders, having lost _puppies_ follow her around, obeying her every command. In here, Alex had no control. She was a grunt. An inmate. A prisoner. A woman with no rights. It was not only frustrating, but desperate. Especially in these circumstances, Alex couldn't sit around and let _men_ tell her what to do, and to keep her mouth shut. She couldn't handle that; she _wouldn't_ handle that.

But Healy hated her. That was no secret. And his hatred was going to cause difficulties for her. She could say what she liked, she could come out with the most reasonable, valid argument but he wouldn't listen. The last person he wanted to speak to was Alex Vause, a _dangerous_ lesbian who liked to manipulate and deceive every woman around her. It was bullshit, of course, but his judgements were hard to escape. Healy turned on her, expression most unpleasant.

'Sit back down, Vause. You can keep your advice to yourself. I don't take suggestions from prisoners. Especially prisoners who continue to break the law even when on parole. You're the _last_ person I'd take advice form, Vause. Leave this to those who know what to do. And who have a working brain, for starters.'

What did she expect? For Healy to agree to her every word? Alex rolled her eyes. 'Don't you realise that by the time people start looking for them––'

'They could be dead? Yes, I am aware of that.'

'So you're not going to do anything?'

'Vause, there is only so much I _can_ do. I am not prepared to risk my life for two criminals––'

'They are _people_!' Alex nearly recoiled. She shouldn't do this, she shouldn't speak to her CO like this. She was not helping herself, or anyone else. But she was so fucking pissed off, so annoyed and frustrated and impatient by the lack of _sense_. 'Living, normal people and you're happy to let them freeze to death? The fuck is the matter with all of you?'

Healy's upper lip twitched into a sneer. '_Don't_ tell me who they are. Surprised you even recognise them as _people_, Vause, considering what you used to do for a living.'

'Sir––'

'You're causing a stir. Bennett, send her to my office. Lock her in there. Keep her out of the way.'

'What?' Alex glared. 'Are you fucking kidding me?' She struggled when Bennett grabbed her by the arm, but there was no use trying to break free. Really, Alex had been expecting this to happen, but, damn it, they weren't going to do anything? She exhaled, and reluctantly let Bennett take her to Healy office. Fuck. _Fuck_. Shit. 'You need to get them out of there,' she said to him as they entered the room. Bennett said nothing. 'Are you really just going to––?'

'Quiet,' Bennett snapped. 'You're making this worse for yourself. You know what's happening, and you also know very little can be done.'

'Sir––'

'Wait here. If you cause anymore problems, then no one will listen to you. Give it up, Vause.' Without waiting for a response, Bennett walked out of the office and closed the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Alex turned to the table and kicked it angrily. This place _stunk _with _idiocy_. Fuck Piper for bringing her back here, and fuck Piper for making her _still_ care. Alex's heart was racing, and she had to calm down. That had been foolish, approaching Healy. He was the last person she should have spoken to. And, yes, maybe there was a good reason to not go outside yet. Maybe the snow would kill them before they reached the boiler room. That didn't stop Alex from dreading the worst, though.

The wind was vicious. Furious. Frightening.

Alex sat in the chair opposite Healy's desk. Removed her glasses and waited. Waited and hoped, hoped to whatever God was out there, that Piper and Nicky would be okay. The office was freezing, and Alex regretted not wearing a pullover. She rubbed her palms together, rested her feet on top of the table. Sighed heavily. The only sound was the howl of the blizzard, a constant reminder that she was in hell, and there was no way out.

**.**

**.**

**.**

'Do you think they forgot about us?'

Piper stiffened. 'No.' She swallowed. Frowned. 'No, they wouldn't have. It's just too dangerous for them to rescue us. They'll come. Eventually.' Yet even Piper didn't feel convinced by her own words. It had been over five hours since she spoke to Alex, and she continued to cling onto a little hope that Alex hadn't forgotten about her. She would help. If the COs were too cowardly to help them, then maybe Alex would. Because Alex still cared, right? God. Didn't anybody care about them in that prison or were Nicky and her, indeed, surviving on their own?

In comparison, Nicky was a lot more calmer. Or, more bored. She had been pacing the boiler room for the past thirty minutes, muttering the odd thing to herself. It was no longer warm. It was cold. So chilly Piper's teeth were chattering. Walking around seemed like a good idea, but she was too worried to exercise. Why had no one contacted them on the phone yet? It honestly felt as if Nicky and her were the only two people who existed.

The snow was falling harder. Piper ran her hands through her hair.

'It'll be okay,' she whispered. 'It'll be okay.'

'Please don't do the chanting thing,' Nicky said. 'I'm this close to losing my shit.'

'Oh, God.'

Nicky took a step forward, and the floorboard creaked beneath her. She stopped, slammed her foot against it. It sounded hollow, empty. Piper watched as Nicky knelt on one knee, and smoothed her hand across the floorboard. 'Hey, man. Come help me.' Not at all sure what Nicky was trying to achieve, Piper came over and helped the inmate remove the piece of wood.

It was easy. Effortless. The floorboard wasn't attached, and once they had removed it, they saw a relatively small hole beneath. At first, Nicky thought there was nothing in there, until she spotted something shining in the dim light. Nicky reached out and retrieved whatever it was. A smile graced her lips, and she raised her brow at Piper. She revealed a bottle, half filled with Scotch.

Nicky laughed. 'Oh, man. Thank God for small mercies.' Although she wasn't too fond of Scotch, Piper did feel better to find a stronger drink than water. Nicky wasted no time in removing the cap and drinking a generous amount, before handing it to Piper. 'Feel better already.'

The alcohol felt like fire in her mouth, and scolded down her throat. But Piper had to admit she felt lighter on her feet, less worried. Wow. She took another swig. 'Mm, that's good.' She drank another mouthful, and Nicky snatched it from her.

'Oi, leave some for me!' After two big gulps of Scotch, Nicky sighed happily and both women leaned against the wall. They passed the bottle over every now and again. 'You know what?' Nicky shrugged. 'I don't care if we die, to be honest. I feel like I've done everything I needed to.'

'Glad you feel that way.' Personally, Piper was not ready to die. Unlike Nicky, she felt as if she had a _lot_ to do still. 'Fuck, it's freezing.' Nicky turned to her, and then shuffled closer. It took Piper a moment to realise she was encouraging them to snuggle up. At first, it was a little awkward, but they managed to fit together quite nicely. One arm draped over each other's shoulders, legs intertwined, and Piper resting her head on Nicky's shoulder, they managed to ignore the strangeness of the situation. Because it worked. After a couple of minutes, Piper was warmer, and her teeth weren't chattering anymore. They sat in silence, holding each other, listening to the wild batter of snowflakes.

Neither said a word, and with Nicky pressed against her, Piper could feel and hear the quick rhythm of her heartbeat. It was enough to confirm to Piper that Nicky wasn't calm either; she was panicking. She was dreading the worst. They didn't want to die. They didn't want to be forgotten. They didn't want to be left behind. Their lives weren't ready to end yet.

Tears stung Piper's eyes, and she cleared her throat, blinking rapidly in order to hold them back. Nicky wasn't a fool, though. She smiled a little, tightened her embrace. 'You were right,' she said, 'It will be okay. Like you said, people get snowed in all the time.'

Piper sighed lightly, softened her expression. It was kind of Nicky to reassure her. 'You believe that bullshit?'

'No.' Nicky snorted. 'But pretending I do kinda helps.' A pause. 'I could really do for a fag, mate.'

'Oh. Sorry. Can't help you there.'

Another pause. Nicky exhaled heavily. 'If we die, then let's agree to meet at the gates to God's kingdom of fluffy clouds and heterosexual galore. I'm not getting kicked down to hell without you, man.'

Piper laughed, 'Right behind you.'

'This sucks.'

'Yeah.'

Resting her head against Piper's, Nicky was silent. She tried to ignore the fact Piper was still trembling, and she tried to ignore the fact she wasn't necessarily trembling due to the cold. Piper was scared. They were both scared. At first, it was doubtful they would end up stuck in here. But now the snow had got worse, and the phones were no longer usable, Nicky couldn't help but wonder if they ever would escape. Surely they would have been helped by now.

When the lights flickered out, and the two were left in pitch black, Nicky held her breath. She waited for the lights to come back on, but they never did. They were stuck like this.

Piper fidgeted, and Nicky held her tighter. But this time, for her own sake. Nicky's lower lip quivered. She wasn't sure if she was angry, upset or annoyed. Probably all three. 'You know,' she said, 'There are murderers in that prison. There are people in there who have destroyed lives, and we're the ones who suffer?' She laughed a little. 'The world is a shitty place, man.'

More than anything, Piper wanted to speak. She wanted to have a normal conversation, wanted to continue laughing, wanted to pretend nothing was wrong. But, the darkness had never been more terrifying. She didn't want to imagine how deep the snow was outside. She didn't want to imagine what was happening within the prison. She didn't want to imagine what was happening to her family, to Larry, and whether or not Alex had given them a second thought.

She didn't want to think.

Didn't want to let the fear win.

But mother nature was in nobody's control. Piper had no idea what was happening, whether the snow would pass, or if it would continue like this for days. Maybe weeks. Piper took the bottle of Scotch from Nicky and had a few mouthfuls. She gasped when placing it down. Then, finally, she came to her senses. The power was cut, they had no light, the snow was building up outside by the second. They weren't getting out. They would never get out.

That was probably the last time she would ever speak to Alex, and Piper hadn't even told her _why_ she named her, why she wanted her back in Litchfield. Alex would go on hating her, and thinking her as nothing but a cold hearted bitch. Would Alex even care if Piper died? Would she _care_? Would she continue life as if everything were normal? Did Piper matter to anyone?

A hot tear trailed down her cheek and she roughly wiped it away. She wasn't crying about death. Heck, maybe she had embraced the opportunity of death a long time ago. Piper wasn't crying about her family, about the fact she was stuck here. She was crying about Alex. About _them_, what a fucking mess they were together, how happy and complete Alex made her feel, and how _toxic_ she was. How she ruined Piper's life without having to try.

How, if Piper had the chance, she would go back to her.

_If she had the chance_.

'She hasn't forgotten about you,' Nicky said, 'You know that.'

And Piper felt her heart break. She straightened up, exhaled, and wiped her tear-stained face with her hands. Nicky didn't move, and waited until Piper was all right. Piper sniffed, stared into the darkness for a while, then chuckled. 'Yeah, I know.' She had been foolish –– Alex hadn't forgotten about her. About them. Even if no one else cared about the two inmates trapped in the boiler room, waiting to die, at least there was one person who was thinking about them.

Returning to Nicky's embrace, Piper listened to the wind. Waited.

She knew.

**.**

**.**

**.**

The last time Bennett had witnessed Caputo this angry was when he confessed he had impregnated Diaz. The correctional officer wisely remained quiet while Caputo went over several ideas on how to keep all the women in order, what to do if the weather refused to settle, whether or not he should follow advice from outside or make his own suggestions. Soon, the women would grow impatient. They would demand information, and they were good at demanding information. They were good at mocking the staff's superiority.

Caputo thought he should get paid more for this crap. When the power went out last time due to flooding, everything had been chaotic and messy. But this was worse. Much worse. He had heard the weather was more severe in other places –– hurricanes in New York, the ocean current going ballistic further North. Nothing was making sense. 'I haven't even been boss for three weeks yet. Not even a _month_, and already I have two inmates dying on me.'

'Sir.'

'Do you think we should go out and get them?'

Widening his eyes slightly, Bennett said nothing, hoping Caputo wasn't expecting an answer. However, his boss waited, freakishly patient. He needed help. 'I think we should––' Bennett paused, '––do what we can to...' He remembered one of the inmates, Vause, who was now stuck in a pitch black room with nothing to do. She had been worried. Scared for the two inmates. 'Sir, I'd recommend we help them before it's too late.'

Caputo nodded. 'That's what I thought.' He groaned, running his hands down his face. 'Fine. But I'm only letting _one_ CO out. Pick three inmates to help –– preferably the fittest ones you can find. If you can't get Chapman and Nichols out, though, don't wait around. That blizzard isn't going to stop anytime soon, and I don't need more deaths on my fucking hands. Fuck. _Shit_. Fucking Christ. I hate my job.' A long silence, and finally Caputo sighed, spoke. 'I'd rather have you out there. You up for the task?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Three inmates, Bennett.' Caputo leaned back in his seat. 'Just _three_. And good luck to you.' He shook his head, eyes trailing down to the torch balanced on his desk. 'You're going to need it.'

**.**

**.**

**.**

An hour passed. Another hour. Three.

Four hours.

Too long. It had been too long. _It had been far too long_. Alex was now pacing the room. Angry. Impatient. Upset. Fucking _done_. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She shouldn't have spoken to Healy. Shouldn't have gone anywhere near him. Fuck, she shouldn't go near _anyone_. Especially Piper. She shouldn't be anywhere near Piper again –– if she ever gets out. Fuck. _Oh, fuck_. Alex approached the window. It was bright outside; the snow was glowing, and it was so deep; there was so much snow, it made her stomach tighten, made her feel sick.

Slamming her fist against the glass, she considered breaking out. But that would be foolish. She wasn't wearing enough clothes for the extreme weather, and she had no shovel or vehicle to help Nicky and Piper out. This was ridiculous. Fucking ridiculous. She was stuck here. Alex growled, tempted to make a tip of Healy's office, topple over his desk, throw around his paperwork, smash that fucking photograph of his wife. Back pressed against the wall, she slowly did down.

Fuck.

She remembered the last time she saw Piper, spoke to her properly, face-to-face. How she begged Alex not to leave her, how beaten and broken she looked. How she was close to giving up. How she had lost everyone important to her. And that, even if she hated Alex, hated her guts, she couldn't deny how she truly felt. How she loved her still, how they were so _fucked_ and yet still loved each other. Alex scowled. What a mess. What a fucking mess.

Now, the possibility she might lose her –– permanently –– was a little too much to bare.

It wasn't supposed to end this way.

_You can't leave me_.

Cold. It was so cold. Alex wrapped her arms around herself, shuddered. She could hate Piper as much as she wanted. Could say what she wanted about her. Pretend she didn't care. Pretend she didn't want anything to do with her. But Alex was scared. For Piper, she was terrified. Damn it. It wasn't supposed _to be this way_. It wasn't, it wasn't. It wasn't supposed––

Piper didn't deserve to _die_. Piper didn't deserve to die alone. Piper didn't deserve any of this. Fuck, she wouldn't be here if Alex didn't name her in court. She wouldn't be here, stranded, if it weren't for Alex. If Alex never entered her life, if Alex never saw her at the bar, _if Alex just stayed the fuck away from her_, Piper would be okay. Piper would be okay.

Knowing this was enough to make Alex _loathe_ her own existence.

The lock turned in the door.

Alex jumped to her feet, ready to face Healy, ready to be yelled at, scolded, punished, forced to feel like shit. But she was a little surprised when Bennett appeared, flushed, slightly out of breath. 'Come on. We're going to get them out.'

It was hard to not express her relief. Alex maintained her composure, though. She didn't want to do anything that would cause more trouble for herself. Quickly, she left the office and followed Bennett down the hallway. He was carrying a torch, but it was still difficult to see where they were going. Alex adjusted her glasses, pushing them further up the bridge of her nose, and realised the two were approaching one of the back doors. A CO –– Bell –– and two other inmates were waiting.

A thick jacket was thrown in Alex's direction, along with a hat, scarf and gloves. Bell had a funny look about her. Wisely, Alex ignored the woman, pulling on the extra clothes. 'Bet she's going to be _really_ grateful when her knight in shining armour comes to her rescue.' One of the inmates snorted at Bell's comment. Alex felt her ears burn. 'Have a fun time.'

It was not going to be fun. Alex wrapped the scarf around her neck, and looked at the two inmates. One of them she didn't recognise. A relatively tall woman, tied back brown hair, oval face, giving her an odd, crooked smile. The other was Watson, who looked bored and impatient. Arms folded, she simply rolled her eyes at Bell's words, but remained quiet. She probably wasn't pleased to be here, but Alex had no sympathy to share.

A small bag around his shoulder, Bennett stepped past and pressed his weight against the heavy, metal doors. For a moment, Alex was worried he would reconsider and back out. It was dangerous what they were doing, after all, and common sense told them to stay indoors. Stay warm. Think about themselves. Forget about the two women trapped in the snow. They were long dead. They were gone.

However, Alex realised he wasn't reconsidering. He was just thinking. Thinking about what the weather had in store for them, whether they would make it. What they should do once they reached the boiler room. He turned when Bell picked up three shovels resting against the walls, and passed one to each inmate. Holding the heavy tool, Alex began to feel tense.

Oh, shit.

This was going to be hell.

'Whatever happens, you _must_ follow me. If you lose me, then head back. Don't hang around. Or, you'll probably freeze to death.'

That was when Watson acknowledged Alex's presence and gave her a look of sheer distaste. 'Thanks for nothing, Maleficent.'

The heavy doors were pushed open, and the freeze instantly nipped at their flesh beneath the thick cotton of their jumpers and khakis. Alex swore. The blizzard was worse than she thought. She couldn't see the snow; it was all a white blur. A flurry of flakes. By the time she stepped out, her fingers already felt numb, and her toes began to ache from the chill. Shovel in hand, she tried to follow Bennett round the corner, past a couple of fences and towards the boiler room.

She didn't bother looking back to see if the other inmates were following. Alex was keen to not let Bennett out of her sight, and fortunately her long legs helped her keep up with him. Someone roughly barged past, and she realised it was Watson, enthusiastic to get to the boiler room so she could return to the safety of the prison. Alex raised her scarf to cover her cheeks, and her glasses were starting to annoy her. Snowflakes melted on the glass, making it hard to see, but even if she took them off, her sight wouldn't be improved. The snow was too violent.

A hand grabbed her by the sleeve and she was forced to the right. Alex yanked her arm away, and glared at her offender. Then, it occurred to her they had reached the boiler room. It was covered in snow, buried, and Alex was horrified at the sight. Watson pushed her, encouraging her to start digging. The other inmate was already getting to work. Heart in her mouth, Alex stabbed her shovel into the snow, and helped remove as much as possible so the door could be opened.

They dug for what felt like hours. Alex was distinctly aware of Watson throwing her a dirty look every time she had a small break. Heck, let her glare. Let her sneer. Let her hate Alex for putting her into this shit. Alex couldn't give less of a damn.

Even though they were working exhaustively, constantly, and even though digging away mountains of snow was enough to make anyone sweat, Alex was so cold she could barely breathe. The inmate she didn't know the name of had to stop at one point. Bennett appeared unfazed by the cold, and took the shovel from her, helping the remaining two women. By now, Alex could make out the door and her heart skipped a beat. Not much longer. They could do this.

Apparently Watson wasn't going to wait. Dropping the shovel, she attempted to kick down the door. It didn't budge. It was frozen in its hinges. Alex lowered her own shovel. Tapped Watson on the shoulder, and gestured they try and knock down the door together. Bennett stopped digging, and stepped away when the two women whammed themselves into the door. Fortunately, Watson was able to maintain her balance, but Alex was less graceful.

The door flung open and she crashed inside, slamming her forehead against the floorboard. She heard her glasses shatter under the impact. 'Urgh, fuck...'

Hurried footsteps. She felt someone help her up by the jacket, and nearly fell back. It took her a second to realise they had made it in. They were in the boiler room. Alex shoved her scarf down passed her mouth, squinted her eyes, and searched for Piper and Nicky. She could make out a faint outline of two women, huddled together, sitting on the floor, staring at their visitors in awe. Alex turned, watched as Bennett stepped over, and she couldn't hear what he was saying over the noise of the storm outside.

She didn't know what to say. Alex remained frozen in place when Watson shut the door to keep in as much heat as possible. They couldn't stay here for long, but Piper and Nicky needed to dress up warmer before heading outside. Fortunately, Bennett had two extra jumpers stuffed into his bag and passed them over. Piper was shaking, speechless. Nicky, on the other hand, was overjoyed. She pulled on the jumper and yanked a stunned Piper to her feet.

They were getting out.

'––need to stay close,' Bennett was saying.

Piper saw Alex. Her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment, and she lowered her gaze. They were going to be okay. With Nicky at her side, the two women followed Bennett to the door. He told them again to stay close, and Piper nodded, although she wasn't entirely sure what was going on. She had no idea how bad the weather was. Didn't know anything. She looked at Alex again, swallowed, and when Alex turned to face her, Piper quickly glanced away.

Right now, she couldn't meet her gaze. She couldn't.

Not yet.

_Everything was such a blur_.

'Oi, Chapman –– you were right!'

Nicky. Piper looked at her. Tried to smile. Tried to nod. But she couldn't think. She was in shock. They were getting out. They were going to be okay. Piper felt Nicky grab her wrist, and the blonde looked at Alex one more time –– saw the distance in her eyes, the regret, the cold, the unforgiving glare –– before running out into the white void of snow.

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**author's note**: Blimey, this chapter was a beast, and it strayed far from what I had planned (which is not unusual), but I do like how this came out. It's difficult writing Alex, Piper and co. in this scenario, and I'm a tad concerned they seem OOC. But the way I wrote them is the way I think they would behave in such a situation. As always, I really would like to know what you think. Your feedback means a heck of a lot to me, and this chapter was pretty difficult to write, so it's important you tell me your thoughts. Thank you so much to **kira66**, **tayschillings**, **Maritexxam**, **cmc49abc**, the two **[ Guest ] **reviewers, **phantomframe**, **FangirlBitch**, **garganta**, **Hope6968**, **ToTheBarricades**, **Osage**, **shrub-skinz** and **Warkitty** for reviewing the prior chapter! Updates will be more spread out from here. I do have two other stories to focus on, after all.


	3. As They Ponder

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Lockdown  
**3.**

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'Hey, Chapman.'

After staring at her sandwich for the past half an hour, Piper wasn't sure she could stomach it. Over two hours ago she had been stuck in the boiler room with Nicky, and if they hadn't been rescued, it was unlikely the two would have survived. It was still snowing, and there wasn't a doubt in Piper's mind that the boiler room was covered in snow once again. The shock, added to chill of the prison, ruined Piper's appetite completely. Plus, knowing that Alex was amongst the few who rescued them didn't help Piper's depressive state at all. She wasn't sure why exactly. But it bothered her.

Nicky and Piper had been granted temporary privacy. The kitchen was abandoned, and until the two had recovered and were warmed up again, they were to stay in there. Frankly, Nicky was fine. She had endured worse situations, but Piper wasn't pale, wide eyed, and tense. She wasn't entirely sure _what_ had happened, and if it was really as severe as she thought. It certainly seemed to be. Even Nicky was accepting their inevitable fate a few hours before Alex whammed herself into the door.

Slowly, she levelled her gaze with the other woman. Nicky was grinning crookedly, and at first Piper thought she was amused with her. If she was mocking her slow recovery. Piper frowned when Nicky held up her slice of sandwich. 'Wanna play a game? First person to eat their meals _wins_.'

Piper inhaled. 'I'm not hungry.'

'Fine.' Nicky stuffed the sandwich into her mouth, 'Guess I automatically win.'

The blonde stared at her for a moment, then suddenly snapped into action. Piper snatched her sandwich off the plate and _shoved_ the bread between her lips, glancing at Nicky every now and again to see how she was progressing. Frantically, Piper took the glass of water, and attempted to use the liquid as a way of downing the sandwich faster. Instead, it only made her choke, and a few bread crumbs went flying in Nicky's direction. Nicky didn't notice. Somehow, she managed to swallow her first slice and was now onto her second.

So engrossed in their competition, they didn't hear the approaching footsteps. Lorna Morello had recently returned from SHU due to the fatal weather outside. The COs had agreed that keeping the majority of inmates together was a good way of maintaining order. With everyone in sight, it would make life a lot easier. Nicky and Lorna had already exchanged pleasantries, until Nicky was dragged into the kitchen with a stunned Piper at her heel. Happy to see her two friends acting like idiots again, Lorna grabbed a seat beside Piper and watched the two women try and engorge their meals.

It was disgusting.

'Don't make yourselves sick,' she warned, a tad concerned the blonde would start regurgitating. Piper was wincing by now, and Nicky had resorted to pushing the ball of dough inside her mouth with her fingers.

Piper made the mistake of looking up. To her horror, she saw Alex leaning against the doorframe, watching her with raised brows. Piper slowed down her chewing, which was difficult, considering her mouth was so full. Nicky realised the problem and laughed, causing her to choke. Annoyed Alex was observing her, Piper chewed harder on her sandwich, glaring at the table. This could not be more humiliating. Apparently, Lorna was pretty entertained by her pain as well, and sat there grinning for a good three minutes until Piper swallowed the whole damn thing.

Instantly she shot to her feet, fists raised, 'I win!'

Nicky shook her head, pointing towards a small slice of sandwich. She had too much food in her mouth to speak, but Piper quickly caught the message. Before she managed to finish her meal, Nicky was already done. She clapped her hands in victory, bread crumbs around her lips, 'Eat shit, Chapman.'

Groaning, Piper forced the remaining piece down her throat, gasped and took her glass of water. Lorna patted her shoulder in sympathy, 'You were close, Chapman. Mind, Nichols could eat a whale in less than five minutes, so you did a pretty good job.'

'Yeah, I eat a _lot_, but not that much,' Nicky replied.

'I beg to differ,' Alex spoke from behind.

Nicky whirled around to look at her. 'If it isn't our Prince Charming. I swear, Chapman was _gushing_ over you by the time we got back.' She was aware of Piper stiffening, and an odd noise came from her. 'To be honest, I was nearly head over heels for you myself. Not so smooth on the entrance, though, man. Sorry about your glasses.'

'A tragic loss,' Alex said.

'How many of me are there?'

'Six?'

Nicky laughed. 'I'd let you borrow mine if I had any.'

Wisely, Piper was quiet. She kept her head low, and pretended Alex wasn't in the room. Despite their previous conversation over the phone, things were still awkward between them. She needed to tell Alex the truth sooner or later, but with Alex looking at her as if she'd crawled out of the gutter, Piper couldn't even look her in the eye. She would get back at Nicky about the gushing issue. Piper hadn't actually said _anything_ about Alex since their return. She avoided her altogether.

Fiddling with her empty plate, Piper heard Lorna speak next. 'They're saying all the phone lines are out. So I don't think you'll be able to contact anyone from the outside for a prescription. You going to be okay with seeing double?'

'Considering we have to rely on torch and candlelight as well, it is gonna be tricky.' Alex glanced at the blurry yellow light in the centre of Nicky and Piper's table. It was obviously a torch, but from where Alex was standing, it might as well be a glowing orb.

'If we find a microscope lens, we could figure something out,' Lorna suggested.

Nicky gave her a look. 'Oh, yeah, that's gonna do it. Could have Vause sniffing around holding a microscope to her eye everywhere she goes. Ha, you'll look like some shitty detective. Chapman, here, can be your shitty sidekick.' She laughed at her own joke, and Lorna grinned. Just to push it, Nicky lowered her voice in an attempt to sound like Alex, 'Oi, Chapman, when I'm done inspecting this murder mystery, maybe we could go back to my place, and inspect you next?'

Piper blushed so hard she was surprised her face didn't catch fire. Lorna and Nicky were in hysterics, and Alex just stood there, rolling her eyes. 'It's wonderful how you can still make jokes, despite nearly dying a couple of hours ago.'

'I would have been fine,' Nicky said, smirking. 'Chapman was good company. I wouldn't have minded dying in her arms –– it was cosy business.'

The only person who found Nicky's comment amusing was Lorna, but, out of respect, she didn't laugh. Instead, the brunette glanced between Piper and Alex, and an uncomfortable silence ensued. Piper was still watching the table, whereas Alex's smile had disappeared completely. If she glared any harder at the blonde, she would have shot _lasers_ into her head. Nicky realised her mistake, but that didn't wipe the smirk off her face. She knew she had made Alex jealous.

As much as she liked her, Nicky couldn't resist the temptation to cause more drama. It was too damn good. 'We got very close, me and Chapman. Spoke about a lot of shit we'd been bottling up these past few days. Despite the fact we could have died and all, I kinda enjoyed it.' She was glad when Piper gingerly looked at her. 'Ain't that right, Blondie?'

To Nicky's surprise, Piper responded at once. 'Right. I wasn't expecting you to be such a good cuddler.'

Oh. _Oh_. It was going to be like that. The corner of Nicky's lips twitched upwards. 'I'm good at other things too, kid.' There was a squeak of Alex's shoes turning on the polished floor, and, afterwards, her footsteps fading away. As soon as she was gone, Nicky laughed, 'Oh, my God, Chapman. You've really dug yourself a hole now.' She flicked her eyes to Lorna who wasn't smiling anymore. There was a mixture of concern and confusion in her expression as she studied Piper's relatively guilty face.

In a way, Piper had wanted Alex to react. She wanted to see her envious, mad at her for reminding Alex she wasn't there when Piper was in trouble. Without realising, Piper had wanted to _hurt_ Alex. Hurt her even more for fucking her around in Chicago. Damn it. Piper pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. Right now, she couldn't handle drama with Alex. There was a lot going on already.

Nicky's smile dropped. She trailed her finger over the rim of her dish. 'Maybe you should just talk to her, man.'

Maybe she should. Piper glanced away. The wind was thunderous outside, scary. Lorna broke the silence, 'The weather's gonna get worse. People are sayin' there's already been a few deaths, it's so cold. People trapped inside their houses. It's getting really bad out there and if we stay in here any longer, we're probably not gonna last either. I don't think it's ever been this bad before.'

The mood had darkened, it was heavier. Nicky wasn't smiling at all now. She looked at Lorna and tried to sound reassuring, 'Weather usually fucks around. It'll be over soon. And if it does get severe, then we'll be transported elsewhere.' A pause. 'If the roads are clear enough for that sort of thing.' She glanced at Piper. 'Hey, man, don't look so glum. You're freaking me out.'

Piper didn't believe Nicky. Before, when they were trapped in the boiler room, she would have done. Just for the sake of surviving. Now, though, Piper was able to see things more clearly. The weather was fatal. The snowflakes were more like sharp glass, or large balls of white powder. Every second, the snow was rising, and if no one came along sooner to help the prisoners out, they may be stuck here.

She had a horrible feeling that no one_ would_ help them. They were prisoners. People would forget about their existence. Everyone stuck in this grotty building was scum to society. No one thought about them, no one cared about them. They had been kicked out, unwanted. They had all committed crimes which made their lives disposable. If they died, it didn't matter. They were waste.

That shook her. Because Piper _never_ considered herself as waste, especially before coming here. Before Alex, even. She was a successful woman, had studied english literature for a degree, and would have married the love of her life if Alex didn't name her in court. If Alex didn't drag her to prison, she would be okay. She would still be with Larry, and Larry would still be with her, and they wouldn't be trapped in some building. They would have fled before the snow got worse.

Yet Larry was just some guy she once knew. He had cheated on her with her best friend, Polly, and that was disgusting and unforgivable. Piper couldn't look either of them in the eye. She felt betrayed, hurt and abandoned. Everyone was like a ghost; a remnant of the past. Irrelevant pieces of memory she didn't want to remember. No one –– not even her family –– seemed to _matter_ much anymore. Everyone was distant, unrecognisable, figures behind a veil she couldn't wipe away.

The only people she considered were the _scum_ trapped in prison with her. She cared about Nicky, Lorna, Red –– who hadn't returned from hospital yet –– and others she didn't even converse with much, like Taystee, Poussey and even Crazy Eyes. Well, not so much Crazy Eyes, but Piper was glad they had managed to form a sort of truce. Heck, the bizarre relationship she had with Crazy Eyes was far more eventful than what she now had with Larry. Everything was such a mess. Prison life had destroyed everything she held dear, everything good for her.

Piper didn't know if she was changing, or if she was beginning to find herself in this hell hole. Whatever the case, she didn't feel steady. She didn't know _who_ she was anymore, and she didn't know what she wanted either. She didn't know if she wanted her family to come get her out, if she wanted Larry to dump Polly and go back to her. Or, if she just wanted Polly back. Just wanted her best friend back who cared about her _properly_. Fuck Larry. Fuck Larry for the shit he'd caused.

Really, though, it wasn't Larry she should be scowling at. Or Polly. Or her family. Alex Vause was the trigger. The catalyst. She had thrown the stone into the pond, and let the ripples spread –– she caused the damage, and turned away, allowing the effects, the repercussions, to affect Piper and only Piper. And yet, Piper couldn't hate her. Because whenever she so much as looked at her, Piper couldn't _breathe_. She had brought Alex back here out of concern, out of _fear_. Piper was terrified Alex might get hurt or, worse, _killed_ and so had her sent back to prison, the one place she knew she was safe.

It was unlikely Alex would understand, though.

Sitting around in the kitchen was getting dire. The three women abandoned the table, and Nicky took the torch with them as they returned to the ghetto. Inmates crowded the area, and there was so much loud chatter, the trio couldn't hear each other over the noise. Nicky approached one of the cubes where Poussey, Taystee and Black Cindy were sitting, and asked what was happening. Piper turned away –– she didn't want to hear. If anything, those three women knew better than anyone what was happening outside, and she wasn't prepared to find out.

She saw there was a small hustle of people around one of the cubes. As she came closer, she realised a radio had been placed in the centre. One of the inmates was trying to get a good enough signal to hear the news. It was a miracle she even found a radio that was working. Piper was sure every piece of technology was busted. When the inmate received something, she ordered the small crowd to be quiet. Instantly everyone went silent, and Piper leaned in closer to hear what was being said.

It was a man. A typical news reporter, with a smooth voice, '_––more than five fire departments have been sent to various homes to help families escape. Several rescues have been unsuccessful, and it doesn't look as if the snow will be ceasing anytime soon, and there are threats of storms approaching as well. Apparently, the devastation in New York from two hurricanes has left half the population either wounded or dead_.'

Then a woman spoke, '_Most roads have been blocked, and hundreds of civilians are trying to flee the city, stuck in jams and unable to proceed further. There has even been several fights breaking out in_––' The radio crackled, and the voice was gone. Some of the inmates groaned in frustration, but Piper waited patiently for the technician to fix the problem. Soon, the radio came back to life. '––_but, yes, it doesn't look as if the weather will be improving. In fact, there have been several claims that this is just the beginning of something much worse_.'

'_For the moment, nothing yet has been confirmed but be sure to_––'

The radio went out again, but Piper had heard enough. She inhaled deeply, straightened and turned back around, only to nearly bump into Crazy Eyes. The woman wasn't looking at her. Her eyes were larger than usual, and Piper noticed a hint of fear. There was mostly excitement, though. The blonde considered walking away, but when she took a step forward, Crazy Eyes grabbed her by the wrist.

'Can't run far here, Dandelion.' Piper frowned. 'Can't run far.'

She yanked her wrist out of her grip, but Crazy Eyes was silent. She now stared at the radio the inmates were fussing over. Admittedly, Piper felt a tad concerned for the other woman, but knew better than to hang around. Heart in her mouth, she searched for a CO she could talk to. She needed to know what was happening, if they intended to keep the inmates stuck in here like rats, or actually help them. It was silly to wait around. What if they all got snowed in? For sure, there wasn't enough supplies to go around.

Unfortunately, Piper couldn't spot a CO. There were too many people. Piper barged her way through and over towards one of the windows. The night had really settled in now, and it was pitch black. She couldn't see what was happening outside. She couldn't tell how deep the snow was, if it was still snowing. But the noise was enough to confirm nothing had changed. Flakes _battered_ against the windows so hard, she was surprised the glass didn't shatter from the impact.

The inmate was desperate for information, and honestly felt offended that the COs had kept everything from them. They were living, breathing people, too. They deserved to know. Even if there were murderers, thieves and what-have-you wandering these hallways, they still deserved to know if they were going to die. Nothing like this had happened before. Piper knew that.

She jumped in surprise when Nicky spoke from over her shoulder, 'Dude, you need to chill. What's got into you?' Piper couldn't speak. A _lot_ of things were bothering her. Slowly, the blonde sat down and leaned against the window. 'You're freaking out, man.' Nicky folded her arms. 'It's just snow.'

'Is it?' Piper challenged.

No response. Lorna appeared soon afterwards, and looked equally as frightened as Piper. 'Have you heard the radio?' Piper nodded. 'There's been hurricanes in New York and tidalwaves in––'

'The media will do anything to make people shit themselves,' Nicky interceded. Her expression had softened, though. She wasn't angry with the news. In fact, she believed it, too. But _knowing_ what was happening when they were stuck in prison was unpleasant. Unnerving. A chill shot up Piper's spine. 'The weather is acting up, all right? But there's no need to lose our shit. Chapman, get a grip.'

Piper ran her hands through her hair. 'I want to contact my family. That's all.' She looked up at her. 'Is that a crime now?'

'We all want to contact our fucking family, man, but we can't. No point crying over something which can't be fixed.'

Nicky was annoying her now. A lot. But she was only behaving this way out of stress. Piper turned away, wanting to be left alone. She hugged her knees, and dipped her chin. They were _stuck_ here. Probably forever. Lorna approached the window, pressing her forehead against it to try and see what was happening outside. Nicky must have realised the tone of her voice, for she now looked a little guilty, but she didn't apologise. Piper didn't expect her to, either. There wasn't time for apologies.

Two COs were walking past, and Piper instantly spoke up, 'Excuse me?' One of them stopped, and the other reluctantly paused. 'Can someone tell us––' She scrambled to her feet, '––what's going on? Are we getting out of here?'

Both COs exchanged glances. Piper didn't recognise either of them. The younger one answered, 'Hopefully. A van should be arriving soon to pick all of you up.'

'Where are we going?' Lorna queried.

The CO shrugged. 'Fuck knows. Fuck I care. Out of here.'

Knowing they were getting out was enough for Piper to feel relief. She smiled a little, and let the two COs go. Thank God. They were getting out; they weren't stuck here. Piper turned to Nicky, but was miffed to see her not sharing her enthusiasm. In fact, Nicky's brows were furrowed, and she seemed lost in thought. Lorna, on the other hand, was smiling too and said, 'We're gonna be okay, after all.'

Nicky looked at her sharply. 'Yeah, man, but where are they taking us?'

'It doesn't matter.' _Who the fuck cares_? Piper added, 'We're leaving here. We won't be snowed in. That's what's important.' Nicky wasn't convinced. Piper ignored her. 'There are going to be places where the weather isn't so bad –– that's where they'll be taking us. And, hopefully, there will be electricity too. I mean, there _has_ to be. You wouldn't keep inmates stuck in prison if it had no security measures.' She looked between both women. 'Right?' Lorna smiled, but said nothing. Nicky cocked a brow. 'Am I the only one here who's thrilled to be leaving?' Piper asked, confused at the responses.

'I'll be jumping with joy when we _do_ get out,' Nicky said. 'I wish we brought back that bottle of Scotch, man.' She exhaled. 'I really wouldn't mind some right now.'

'It was gross.'

'You liked it at the time.'

'At the time. I thought we were dying.' Piper sighed. 'I hope that van gets here soon.'

'_If_.'

Piper turned on Nicky, impatient. 'What is your problem? There's no harm in having a little optimism.'

'There's a fine line between optimism and naïvety, mate. Didn't you hear what was on the fucking radio? Road's are blocked. You really think a _van_ is going to get to us? Not unless it had a huge motherfucking snowplough in front of it, it won't. Chances are slim they'll go to such lengths to help us out anyway. In case you've forgotten, Chapman, we ain't exactly society's favourites.'

Scowling, Piper pressed her back against the wall. 'We're still _people_. They should remember that, so they should go to such lengths.' Lowering her gaze, Piper ignored the doubt flooding through her. While Nicky spoke sense, she only made Piper's mood worse. 'You know what, forget I said anything.' She didn't want to cause an argument, and she didn't want Nicky crushing her hopes. So, she closed the subject.

Neither Lorna or Nicky pressed the matter further. In fact, from that point on there was an uncomfortable tension between them all which Piper found upsetting. She had formed a good bond with Nicky over the past few months. The last thing she wanted was for their friendship to end here and now. She already had Alex giving her hassle. Speaking of, Piper hadn't seen her since the scene in the kitchen.

About fifteen minutes passed until they heard a loud _bang_ing from the ghetto. It was Caputo slamming his baseball bat against something in order to catch the attention of the inmates. Once he had achieved silence, he spoke up. Piper tried her best to listen, but only managed to catch the odd sentence. The gist was that a van should be coming over soon to pick them all up and transport them to a detention hall Piper had never heard of. Apparently, it was a good two hours drive away, but they should all be there by tomorrow night.

Nicky and Lorna retreated to one of the cubes, and Piper returned to the radio which an inmate was still trying to fix. By this point, barely anything could be deciphered, and most women had given up trying to listen. The lack of a radio cast a sense of loneliness around the ghetto, and Piper was desperate for the van to arrive. Unfortunately, not all the inmates could be dispatched at once, so they had to go in ten at a time. The van should be here in the next couple of hours.

With no destination in mind, Piper walked passed several cubes, and considered joining Lorna and Nicky, when she spotted Alex sitting on one of the beds, book in hand. It was impressive she could still read without glasses, but it occurred to Piper she wasn't reading at all. It was always obvious to Piper when Alex was reading –– she would wear a faint smile, and have a light expression. It was one of few times in which Alex looked younger than she was –– getting lost in her novels brought out a rather innocent side to her. To Piper, she always looked cute reading. But, right now, she was frowning slightly, and her eyes weren't necessarily focussed on the pages. She let them drift off the edge occasionally.

Alex wasn't reading. She was thinking. She only had the book up to her nose so no one would disturb her. Piper should have continued walking, ignored her, but she decided to nab this opportunity to talk. She hovered in the entrance to the cube, and Alex watched her out of the corner of her eye. Neither said anything, and Piper could see Alex's body go rigid. She didn't want Piper here, or anywhere _near_ here.

Bravely, Piper stepped further in. 'I was wondering if we could talk.' Alex didn't reply. She pretended to go back to reading her book. 'Would that be possible, Alex, or are you just going to ignore me?' Nothing. Alex was trying so hard now to block out Piper's voice, she was attempting to _read_. This proved tricky without the glasses, so she squinted harshly, levelling the words with her eyes. 'Fine. Act like a child. Don't say I didn't try, though.' She waited a moment in case Alex might change her mind, then walked away.

Alex lowered the novel, and looked in the direction Piper had gone. She was annoyed, angry, and outraged Piper had the audacity to call her a _child_. Fuck, maybe she was acting like one, but Piper had no right to criticise her behaviour. She closed her book. Exhaled. There was too much noise. Everyone was panicking, everyone was excited, everyone was so obsessed in the weather it was driving her crazy.

'I think you should give her another chance.' Turning to the source of the voice, Alex was mildly surprised to see Lorna peering over the wall of the cube. 'Talk things out, y'know? I think she'd like that.'

'Piper would like a lot of things she can't have.' Alex raised a brow. 'She's not used to being told "no".'

Lorna lowered her gaze, shrugged. 'Whatever you say, Vause.' Then she dropped down to return to sitting on the bed. Alex fiddled with the pages of her novel, rolled her eyes. It was hard to stay mad at Piper, and it was hard to constantly give her silent treatment. She couldn't believe Piper had sent her back here, but she had a hunch there was a reason. A reason Piper wanted to tell.

At the moment, Alex didn't want to listen. Piper didn't deserve to be forgiven so easily, and so quickly too.

For the next few hours, nothing happened. The chatter continued, the inmates were still trying to fix the radio, and the COs continued to guard each exit. A couple of torches had stopped working, but the ghetto was getting brighter now that day was approaching. However, the sun was shy. It didn't appear once, and it was colder than ever. By the time the van was supposed to be here, Alex was shivering. White puffs of smoke escaped her lips every time she exhaled, and she wrapped her jacket tighter around herself.

Two inmates had apparently lost conscious from the chill. Things were starting to get nasty. Alex kept to herself. She couldn't see a damn thing, so wouldn't be of any use to anyone. The lack of sight was humiliating and made her angry. She hated sitting around waiting. She wanted to be up and moving or, at least, reading a book. This was just cruel.

Yet when another hour passed, panic started to stir.

The van hadn't arrived.

Alex's interest perked when she overheard an inmate suggesting the van was stuck in snow somewhere. This wouldn't be surprising. God knew how awful the weather was out there. After another thirty minutes, Alex slipped off the bed, and carefully searched for someone to talk to. She heard Nicky sniggering behind her. 'Dude.' Alex turned to see her, but just saw a blur with a lot of smudged hair. 'You're screwed.'

'Where's our chariot?'

'Dunno,' Nicky shrugged. 'Feel bad for Chapman. She had stars in her eyes at the idea we were getting out. You don't think they called it quits, do you?'

Alex didn't reply. She had a feeling Piper would try and stay optimistic. She always did, and she was _always_ left disappointed. It was how she handled their relationship, before. Constantly staying positive about it all, believing Alex was worth all of the trouble. Until, finally, she just had enough and walked away. Alex disappointed her.

'If you spot any glasses, hand them over.'

'Sure thing, man.'

And Alex began her search. It was more of a wild goose chase than anything. She didn't expect to find any missing glasses, but it was worth a try. In the midst of her search, she heard Caputo whamming his baseball bat. The inmates hushed down immediately and looked over at him, some hopeful, some depressed, some just pissed off.

It was bad news.

The van hadn't arrived. It never would arrive, either.

Alex's worst fears had been realised. She heard someone, and recognised it as Poussey's voice. 'You mean we've been left behind?' That was what it was. The van didn't even _try_ to reach them. They were simply forgotten. Deliberately. Alex didn't know. The prison was abandoned. All the inmates, and even the staff, had been left here in order to wait the weather out.

Or die. Either one.

'Shit,' Taystee muttered.

'Guess we're not gonna be rescued after all, Chapman.'

That was harsh, even Alex had to admit. She turned, squinted her eyes, but couldn't see Piper or Nicky anywhere. Most of the inmates had started rioting now, shouting and cursing at Caputo and at each other. Everyone was terrified. They had been left behind, and had to rely on each other to get out now. Caputo hammered the bat against the wall repeatedly, until finally the inmates stopped yelling.

Caputo was furious, but not at the women. 'All of you are to wait here until we decide on something!' Honesty. It was a little precarious. None of the women appreciated the fact he didn't have a plan B. He said something else, on the lines of staying quiet, but Alex had stopped listening. She had gone back to searching for a pair of glasses she could use. There was so much happening, someone must have undoubtedly left their specs somewhere.

'I suggest we make a break for it,' an inmate spoke. 'Get the fuck out of here. If we can take down that CO over there, we could be free.'

'Then let the freeze have us? Sounds gold.'

'If we stay in here, then we're gonna die anyway!'

Alex widened her eyes when she spotted a pair of glasses resting against a cube wall. She picked them up and turned to a small crowd, 'Are these anybody's?' She asked.

Someone looked at her. Short, angry-looking. 'Those are mine.'

'Can I borrow them?'

'No point in asking –– we're all gonna die anyway.'

'I'll take that as a "yes",' Alex murmured, slipping the glasses on. They were not as strong as she would have liked, and they caused a little strain on her eyes, but she could see a lot better. Behind the woman she was speaking to was Nicky, who was giving her a funny grin. Lorna sat a few inches away, and Piper was staring at the floor, avoiding Alex's gaze altogether. There was a mix of humiliation and anger in her expression. She wasn't happy that the van never arrived; that she had been made to look like a fool.

Nicky straightened. 'Smithy, here, was suggesting we break out. You in for that, Vause?'

'It's _Smith_,' the woman replied, glaring at her. 'Also, I don't want anyone coming along who is visually challenged.'

'Weren't these glasses originally yours?' Alex asked.

'For _reading_,' Smith snapped. 'Anyway, I'm not hanging around. I know the CO over there goes for a leak every twenty minutes. Got a bladder the size of a pea. Next time he leaves, we can get out.'

Alex narrowed her brows. She had to admit, this plan sounded too simple. Apparently she wasn't the only person who had the same doubts, either. Piper lifted her head, and looked over at Smith. 'There's more than one CO blocking that exit, and there will be more outside too. What if we get caught escaping? We could be sent down to SHU.'

'Fine. Whatever. You can stay here. Don't have time for fucking cowards.'

'Actually, she's just being rational,' Alex defended, avoiding Piper's shocked look. 'You go right ahead, but I'm sticking around. No point running out there when the snow's so violent. You wouldn't survive.'

'We should wait it out. Stay inside,' Piper suggested. 'Until the weather improves, at least.'

Nicky looked between the two in mild amusement, but she nodded. 'I agree with Vause and Chapman.'

'What if we get snowed in?' Lorna asked.

It was a reasonable question, and Piper dropped her gaze, uncertain. 'I guess it's a risk,' she said. 'But we can't run out there when we don't have any form of transport or shelter. Or food or water, for that matter.'

Sneering, Smith walked away, and began searching for other inmates who would join in her escape. Alex looked over at Piper, then quickly glanced in the other direction when they caught each other's eye. She didn't know if she should have bothered defending Piper, but she didn't appreciate the short inmate criticising her when she had made a decent point.

Alex pushed the glasses further up the bridge of her nose. Nicky had turned to Lorna to talk, and Alex hesitantly looked over at Piper again. The blonde was watching her, and her expression was illegible. Yet Alex spotted a little longing, a little hope still that everything would be oaky. It was the sort of hope Alex loved about her when they were a couple, the sort of hope which made her hope as well.

She didn't wait. She didn't talk. Alex left.

**.**

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**author's note**: Thank you **Wardicus**, **isallgleektome**, **garganta**, **FaeCym**, **ladylace616**, **cmc49abc**, **[ lj ]**, **Hope6968**, **ejm137**, **ToTheBarricades**, **Defensive**, **shrub-skinz**, **DarkestGayMoon** and the two **[ Guest ]** reviewers for leaving feedback on the prior chapter. Until next time!


	4. Without Reason

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Lockdown  
**4.**

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After transferring most inmates to the cafeteria, small plates of food were passed around but very few ate. The noise had dropped, and Piper hated the discomforting atmosphere tingling in the air. Every inmate was panicking, even if they were trying to hide it. More were suggesting a breakthrough, and despite her advice from before, Piper was tempted to do such a thing as well. What chance did they have in here?

She was also worried about her family –– what was happening outside of this prison? Was everyone else safe? Or, were they trapped too? Was the snow even _that_ bad? She sat still for a long time, going over several ways to handle the situation. She could just wait it out. That seemed the most logical decision. She had nothing to lose. Except possibly her _life_. It was getting too stuffy in the cafeteria. The lack of light was horrible as well, and everywhere was so sweaty and cold. Disgusting.

Preferring to be alone, Piper didn't talk to anyone. She wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, and tried to listen out for the weather. Unfortunately due to the amount of chatter, she couldn't hear a thing. Maybe the snow had stopped? She hoped COs were checking every now and again, and she hoped the van which was supposed to pick them up earlier might miraculously arrive. Damn it, this was all so unfair. It pissed her off that they had been left behind.

Over in the corner, a few inmates were crowding around the same radio, trying to get a signal. Piper couldn't hear what was being said, but her curiosity perked when the inmates all started shouting. They had heard something which angered them. Piper stayed put, and watched as a CO went over, yelled at them to be quiet and took the radio away. That was when an inmate stood up and raised her voice, 'They've started evacuatin'! Anyone they can find, they're takin' elsewhere! Sayin' weather is gonna get bad, especially when it freezes over––'

'Quiet, inmate!'

'What're we gonna do? Just _die_ in here?'

'I said "quiet"!'

Piper stared in horror. The inmates refused to be silent. In fact, they started shouting, and the entire cafeteria burst in uproar. Shuddering, Piper hugged her knees. She had a headache, felt sick. She wanted everyone to shut up. What was the point in causing so much drama? It solved nothing. What was the point in panicking? They were stuck here. There was no getting out. The COs had them trapped, allegedly for their protection.

Screams echoed the cafeteria when they heard a gunshot.

A CO stood at the front, a pistol in hand, pointed towards the ceiling. Instantly all the inmates were quiet, and sat back down. Piper didn't listen to the CO's commands. She looked away, tried to focus her attention on something else. All she could see was petrified, angry faces. The COs wouldn't be able to maintain control for long. The threat of being shot would lose its impact. There were more than fifty women in this cafeteria, and only ten staff members. The COs were easily outnumbered.

Isolation started to hit. Piper didn't want to be alone anymore. Every inmate here had someone to lean on, a friend to rant to, someone to keep them company. Piper swallowed, ran a hand through her hair. If she was reasonable, she would believe that, yes, they probably would eventually die. They were running short on food, they wouldn't be able to stay warm for very long. And if they couldn't leave, if no one from the outside was going to get them out, they had little opportunity. Piper hadn't felt this sort of dread since she was dragged into SHU.

Except this was worse. Much worse.

She started to search for Nicky, but couldn't spot her anywhere. Nor Lorna. Piper clung to her blanket, scanning each face carefully. Her heart skipped a beat when she found Alex, seated a few metres away, reading, or supposedly reading. Piper glanced away. She wanted to talk to her, tell her what had happened, why Alex was back here. She wanted them to see eye-to-eye again, because, fuck, maybe this was their last chance.

If Piper was to die with anyone, she knew who she would choose.

Alex was reluctant to speak, but Piper had to try. She had to _force_ this. One of them had to; one of them had to be mature. No more fucking around, no more silent treatment, no more nursing each other's pride. What was happening was serious, it was _real_. Alex would have to be a complete idiot to not acknowledge that. She had to talk to Piper, had to listen to her. She had to realise they might not have long left.

So, Piper braced herself, scrambled to her feet and slowly walked over. Her heart was in her mouth, and her palms were sweaty, pulse accelerating. She shouldn't feel this nervous, but she was. Because Alex listening to her meant more than she would admit. She needed Alex back, even as just a friend. She needed Alex back, and she refused to take "no" for an answer.

When she was close enough, Alex didn't look up. Possibly didn't notice her. Possibly didn't want to. Piper knelt down before Alex, holding her blanket to her shoulders. She watched her silently for a few seconds, hoping Alex might avert her gaze from her novel. Hoping Alex would acknowledge her presence. Hoping Alex would come to her senses and realise the real issue here. But this was Alex Vause. What did she expect? Alex didn't move.

'Are you ever going to say something to me?' Piper asked. No response. 'You do realise what's happening, don't you? Is it honestly your intention to ignore me while we're all packed in here? Is that really your plan?'

Then she stiffened a little, but only out of anger. Alex tightened her grip on the novel. Piper couldn't believe her. After what Alex did to her in Chicago, surely Alex had the decency to understand Piper's reasoning?

For some bizarre reason, she remembered Miss Claudette speaking to Miller –– Piper had accidentally overheard their conversation, pretended not to notice. But, right now, she distinctly remembered Miss Claudette's words: "_You can't play with someone's life like that. 'Love' is not an excuse_." Accusing Alex, was it worth it? Did Piper have good reason to do that? Was it out of vengeance, a twisted hatred for the other woman? Or, was it done out of love? Had Piper fucked Alex over because she loved her? Just what was Piper turning into?

Her lower lip quivered. She couldn't stand this anymore. She couldn't stand Alex ignoring her, desperate to erase her from her life, as if she was nothing but waste. How dare she? How _could_ she? Why was Alex being so stubborn, refusing to listen to reason? Piper considered walking away. Giving up. Let Alex come to her. Give her time. But, fuck, _they had no time_! Time was running out. Time was disappearing. They had no time.

'I brought you back here to protect you,' Piper confessed.

Alex turned the page of her novel.

'––because I was scared for you.' A second passed. 'I couldn't handle it. Knowing you were in danger like that –– Alex, I had to help you. Don't you understand? You told me you...' She exhaled, '... fuck, you were sleeping with a _gun_ under your pillow. Then––' She stopped. Scoffed. '––you were gonna leave. What did you expect me to do? Let you go? You could have been killed. You––' _You would have left me, abandoned me. I would have been all alone. Like I am now_. 'Will you fucking _look_ at me?' Tears stung her eyes. 'Alex, _**look**_ at me.'

Desperate, Piper snatched the novel from her. Alex was forced to look at her now, and she glared, jarring her teeth, eyes swimming with loathing and a toxic bitterness. It hurt. It fucking _hurt_ seeing her this way. Piper glared back. Challenging her. _Daring_ her to attack, to make a move, to yell at her, scold her, do what she wanted to her. Because Piper didn't care. All she cared about was Alex knowing the truth. If Alex wanted to act like a brat, then she was free to, but Piper did _not_ deserve to be riddled with guilt.

Neither said a word, but neither backed down either.

Voices of the other inmates went unnoticed. All sensation had been numbed. Piper felt her body tremble under the weight of Alex's look; she hated it when Alex was angry. Alex was usually annoyed, moody, but rarely _angry_. Alex's anger was hot, _fire_, and it burst, it was uncontrollable, and made her vicious, snappy, _cruel_. Her rage scared Piper sometimes, due to the very reason it was so rare. Piper didn't know how to handle Alex when she was mad –– she never was able to. She knew there were many horrible, _horrible_ insults waiting to be thrown at her, she knew Alex had many ways to crush Piper's spirit with simple words.

Piper missed her –– them. What they had. Deep down, she knew she had chosen wrong. Larry Bloom wasn't right. Piper should not have picked Larry. But maybe it was just as well she didn't pick Alex either. She should have picked _neither_. But the way Alex made her feel, how wonderful, _beautiful_ it was to have Alex hold her again, to feel Alex's warmth and love embrace her –– they might have been stuck behind bars, but Piper had never been happier. Piper couldn't move on. Alex was a constant. Always. It terrified her that they had been apart for so many years before she was sent to prison. How did she manage? How did Alex manage?

Loving Alex Vause was _agony_.

Piper had shed too many tears for this woman. Far too many.

Roughly, Piper wiped her eyes. She wasn't going to cry, as much as she wanted to. Everything was so _fucked_. The weather, Larry, Polly, _them_. Nothing was how it should be. Damn it. _Damn it_, why wasn't Alex saying anything yet? Piper lost patience. 'Fuck you, Alex.' It was all she had left. Alex had taken _everything_ from her.

This place, this prison, was killing Piper. Slowly.

Driving her to the brink of insanity.

'I would have been fine.'

Alex. Hearing her voice sent a chill up Piper's spine. Piper looked at her. Shook her head. 'No, you wouldn't have. You weren't even safe when you had a PO watching your every move.'

Rolling her eyes, Alex removed her glasses. 'Having that fucking moron keeping an eye on me made no difference anyway. I would have been _fine_, Piper. Don't come to me with your pathetic excuses. I'm not interested.' She yanked the novel out of Piper's hand. 'Why don't you go back to playing with Nichols? You two seem to be getting along well.'

A ball formed in Piper's throat, and her voice shook. 'You would _not_ have been fine. I know that for a fact. You were _scared_––'

'I would have managed––'

'No!' Piper snapped. 'I know you, Alex. You were terrified. You wanted to run away. But it wouldn't have worked. You know it wouldn't have worked. You would have been caught eventually. I wanted you safe. That's all. You don't need to fucking bite my head off about it.'

Alex sighed, impatient. 'Are you done?'

'I dunno. Are _you_?'

'Listen, I didn't _ask_ for your help––'

'You never do! That's your problem. You _never_ ask for your help when you need it. You have so much fucking pride, Alex, I'm amazed I can fit in the same fucking _room_ as you.'

'Is that what we're going to be doing, then? Fucking each other over until one of us gives in? Is that what you'd call a good thing, Piper? I'm fucking sick of all this.' There was that betrayal in her eyes again; how she looked when Piper chose Larry. That disappointment, humiliation, the pain of knowing she was _a choice_. That was all she was to Piper: a choice. Someone to pick out of the lot. Just _another one_. Piper shuddered again.

Walk away. Walk away. Let her go.

_Leave_.

'I'm sick of it all, too.'

Alex's expression softened slightly. She turned away. They sat in silence. Voices of the inmates returned. Oblivious. Ignorant. The freeze nipped at their flesh, and death hovered between them. Alex dropped her gaze to her glasses, fiddled with the frame. Piper wanted to know what she was thinking; if she was thinking of anything at all. She wanted to read her. Know her again. How did she really feel? Piper wanted Alex to shrug off this mask she constantly wore, and tell her the absolute _truth_ about everything. She wanted to know.

It was so cold. Several inmates were huddled together, trying their best to keep warm. Piper didn't move, watching Alex, waiting. She didn't know what she was waiting for. Forgiveness? An apology? A slap to the face? Alex met her gaze. There were so many things to say. So many things to confess, to voice. To understand. Piper felt a desire to hold her, maybe even kiss her, but she restrained herself. She stopped.

Everything was falling apart.

'Thank you for saving me.' Alex was still. 'I'll remember that, at least.'

Piper stood. Maybe she should stay, wait for Alex to respond, but Alex was quiet. Her eyes followed her as Piper returned to her previous, isolated corner at the back of the cafeteria. Tucking her chin into her blanket, Piper held her knees, exhaled shakily. Pointless. Pointless, pointless. Alex wanted nothing to do with her. It was finished. Done. There was not a thing Piper could do to bring them back onto good terms again.

_Love is not an excuse._

Hours passed. Inmates had fallen asleep. Piper had no idea what the time was. She had no idea what was happening, what was going to happen. She wondered if there was any point in caring. Leaning against the wall, she snuggled into her blanket and closed her eyes. She wouldn't be able to sleep. Not after everything that had happened. After a moment, she opened her eyes again, stared ahead, then raised herself a little.

The temperature was dropping fast. Piper was shivering; she wanted to move around. Go for a jog but there was no room. She turned her head when she spotted a familiar figure shuffling closer to her. Piper offered a smile Nicky's way, but the other woman looked half dead. 'I've had the _worst_ time of my life. Vomiting everywhere. It was the sort of vomit which burns your throat on the way up, and it tasted really––'

'I get the picture,' Piper said, widening her eyes. 'Caught the flu?'

'Huh. I wish. I don't think my body likes the cold too much. Plus, I think there was somethin' in those sandwiches...'

'I'm fine, though.'

'Good for fucking you. Anything happen while I was out?'

Piper looked down at her hands. Yes –– she had tried to talk to Alex, but Alex was being a reluctant, snobby asshole. 'They've started evacuating people.' She shrugged. 'Apparently. I think this is all a big deal over nothing.'

'You think so?'

No. She didn't think so. Piper smiled shortly. Inhaled. Then, foolishly, looked in Alex's direction. In the candlelight, Alex could barely be seen. The novel was still in her hands, and it didn't look as if she would be getting to sleep anytime soon either. Piper clenched a fist. She could try and ignore Alex, but she couldn't ignore how she felt. It had come to the point where this whole distance shit was starting to upset her.

They had no one else. Alex didn't have anyone; Piper didn't have anyone.

If Alex realised –– if it occurred to Alex what mattered, she would cooperate. Talk about what happened, understand where Piper was coming from. _Forgive_ her. Piper needed to be forgiven; she needed a second chance. She _deserved_ one.

'Fuck's sake, Chapman,' Nicky said. 'Will you just get over yourself and talk to her?'

Piper realised she had been staring at Alex for longer than was appropriate. Blushing a little, Piper returned to examining her hands. 'I did. She wants nothing to do with me. End of.' Saying it was the worst part. Admitting Alex hated her was horrible. Piper wanted to be sick. She leaned forwards, hugging her knees again.

'I know it's none of my business, but I think she wants everything to do with you.' Nicky shrugged. 'You must be real special if you had her searching for rebound sex after you broke her heart. Just saying.' Piper looked at her. 'She was upset.' It wasn't a joke; this was sincere. Genuine. 'She would kill me for telling you this, but I'm willing to bet you're the only person who matters to her. I dunno about you, but that says something. Don't it?'

Piper didn't reply, but she knew Nicky was good at reading people. She wouldn't have admitted that about Alex if it wasn't true. Piper flicked her gaze away. Yeah. It said something. It said a lot. The corner of her lips twitched upwards.

'Thanks.'

'Mm,' Nicky murmured, lying down and covering her face with the blanket. Piper left her be, looked at Alex one more time, before falling back herself in an attempt to sleep.

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The chorus of shouts and yells of the inmates woke Piper up. Most were on their feet, hammering the floor and walls, threatening, screaming at the COs. It was chaotic. Piper stood up, and wisely stayed back from the madness. She had no idea what was wrong. More confused than scared, she turned to look at the COs. The ones patrolling the front were now talking quietly amongst themselves; one of them was angry, another terrified.

Piper turned to Nicky who actually looked _bored_. 'What's going on?'

'No idea.'

Finally one of the COs moved, barging past the crowds. Piper was shocked to discover he was approaching she and Nicky. The CO stopped before them, and bobbed his head towards Nicky, 'Oi, you. Come with us. We've got a job for you.' Before Nicky could respond, the CO turned away and returned to the front of the cafeteria.

Nicky and Piper exchanged looks, before Nicky followed. Standing on her tiptoes, Piper watched as Nicky was escorted out of the cafeteria by the same CO. What the Hell was happening? She cursed. Fuck this shit. Piper winced when she heard Caputo slam his baseball bat against the wall again, shout orders, regain control. Everyone was quiet. This time, he stayed in the cafeteria in case the inmates started acting up again.

'Where did they take her?'

Piper whipped around to see Alex standing behind her. Her expression was illegible. 'I–– I don't know. I don't know what's going on.' Alex didn't reply, but she didn't move away either. Piper exhaled, and faced the front again. She felt a sense of comfort now that Alex was here, even if it wasn't for her sake. She liked Alex here, liked the fact Alex had spoken to her, even if it was just a simple question. 'Why did everyone start panicking?'

It wasn't Alex who responded. Actually, Alex ignored her. It was another inmate nearby who replied, 'The snow's stopped falling. They're picking inmates to go outside and send help. Fucking lunatics. They're sending inmates out to their deaths, that's what they're doing! Think they can find somebody to get us all out, or who has a truck to dig us out.'

'Better done now than later, though,' an inmate added. 'Someone needs to go out there. Dunno if they'll survive. Seems unlikely. Fucking freezing.'

Piper stared in horror. 'They're releasing inmates so they can fetch _help_?'

'Yea. Sorry about your buddy –– looks like she weren't so lucky.'

Oh, Gods. Fuck. Piper stared at the inmate. This couldn't be happening. Were the COs that stupid? Nicky wouldn't last. She'd freeze to death. 'Who else has gone?'

'Dunno. Three others, I think. Haha, they might just make a run for it,' the inmate chuckled. 'As if they're going to come back here and get us all out. What a fucking joke.'

They were going to die. The COs had given those unfortunate inmates a death sentence. Piper's heart was in her mouth; she couldn't breathe. Oh, Gods. Oh, _fuck_. She looked around her. More inmates had started to riot again. Piper felt cold, so fucking cold, then she realised it wasn't due to the temperature. She was scared. She was finally scared. Suddenly, everything hit. The weather wasn't normal. It was not normal. Everyone would freeze to death if nobody did anything. They were relying on those few inmates to help them.

Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Piper widened her eyes when she saw a CO coming their way again. She hoped he would approach another inmate, change direction, but he didn't. Piper gripped her blanket, kept her feet stuck to the ground. The CO stopped walking when he reached her. His eyes met hers, then he turned to Alex, 'Vause, you're coming too.'

It took a second to hit. Piper was frozen for a moment.

'What?'

'Healy says considering you made such a big deal over Nichols and Chapman being suck –– you might as well lend a hand yourself this time around.' He smiled crookedly; it was twisted, cruel. Piper felt a rush, an explosive rush of fire. Anger.

_Heat_.

The blanket slipped from her shoulders.

Without thinking, she grabbed Alex's wrist, tugged a little on her khaki top. 'She's not going anywhere.' The words left her lips before she could stop them. But she didn't care how she looked, how pathetic she was, if she would be sent to SHU, if she would be thrown out to freeze to death. They weren't going to take Alex.

They were _not_ taking Alex away.

'Don't make this more complicated than it is,' the CO said.

Piper didn't let Alex go. She held her tighter. 'You're not taking her anywhere.'

'Let go of your girlfriend now––'

'Make me!'

'... All right.' The CO waved his hand over another CO, who soon came to join them. 'We'll make you, then.'

Viciously, the CO pulled Piper off Alex. It was such a hard, aggressive _jolt_. Piper instantly struggled, elbowing the CO in the face. The other CO pushed her back so she landed heavily onto the floor. She wasn't sure if it was the shock, the impact, or the violence which hurt the most. Almost on instinct, Alex reacted, grabbing the CO by the collar and yanking him away, but it was a mistake. She shouldn't have done anything.

Alex had no choice but to let him threaten her. Pointing a finger in her face, he yelled, 'Do that again I'll fucking make sure your bitch won't be seeing the light of day!' Piper instantly shot to her feet, but the CO held her away at arm's length.

Alex was speechless. Furious. She looked at Piper, and she wanted nothing more than to punch both COs in the jaw. Piper pushed forwards, inevitably barging into the CO, and she called out when Alex was escorted away. No, no, _no_! Not Alex. Piper yelled, and the CO pushed her up against the wall. It was enough to shut her up. Piper could do nothing.

Several inmates looked on in awe. Piper ignored them. She turned in the direction Alex had gone. She had already disappeared. To be sent off _out there_. Fuck. Piper caught her breath, waited, waited to calm down, to collect her thoughts. Waited to recover. But she couldn't. She couldn't heal. She couldn't wait. She couldn't handle this. No. _Not Alex_. They didn't need to take her away too! She didn't want Alex out there, defenceless, _alone_.

Fuck. The very reason why Piper brought Alex back here was to avoid this!

Piper couldn't feel her legs move. She caught sight of a CO and walked over, and there was only one motive she had in mind. There was only one thing she wanted. She was not going to stay in here. She was not going to wait for Alex to return. She wasn't that sort of person. _She couldn't handle waiting for Alex to come back to her_.

'I want to go out, too,' she said. The CO gave her a look. 'I want to find help, too.'

'Yeah, right. Sorry, but you weren't picked, so––'

'I'm fitter than the other women you chose. I can handle the snow.'

'Nice one. I'm not falling for that. Fuck off––'

'Let me go out there! Please let me––'

'No. _Stay here_.' The CO wasn't smiling anymore. He found none of this funny, and neither did Piper. She finally saw the fear; what he had been trying to hide with sick humour. Eventually, he turned around and walked away.

Tears in her eyes, Piper furiously returned back to her spot. She hated everyone in this fucking room. _Fuck, fuck, fuck_. She hated the COs. And, God, she _loathed_ Healy so much. Fuck that asshole. That prick. That fucking _fucker_. Piper was fuming. Wisely, inmates avoided her. They knew Piper was not someone to be trifled with when she was in a mood.

Alex was gone. Nicky was gone.

_Alex is gone_.

Footsteps. Piper rolled her eyes, and was prepared to scold the person whoever dared disturb her. But she instantly backed down when she saw it was Lorna. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was wearing a nervous smile. One that shed with insecurity, worry –– but a strange certainty too. Piper frowned at her.

'Come with me. Quick,' she was whispering. Hushed. Frantic. 'Some inmates have found a way to get out of here without being spotted.'

She didn't hesitate. Didn't think. Piper hurried after Lorna, through the crowds of yelling inmates, all the while her mind racing, breath caught in her throat as she remembered the same words over and over again in her mind. A chant, a chilling song she was unable to shake: _Love is no excuse. Love is no excuse. Love is no excuse_.

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**author's note**: Thank you **Maritexxam**, **FaeCym**, **[ IrishCourtney ]**, **garganta**, **[ silverm ]**, **ToTheBarricades**, **ellieellie1**, **GalenReese**, **ejm137**, **PhoenixTears87**, **Hope6968**, **cmc49abc**, **DarkestGayMoon**, **bluepaintbox**, **[ wooot ]**, **bookiewookieworm**, **Once Upon A CBI NYPD Time**, **pgsca**, **[ Satya ]**, **Bratette**, **nickyjg** and the three **[ Guest ]** reviewers for leaving feedback on the prior chapter. I'm really amazed with the positive response!


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